title: Mechanical properties of rat cardiac muscle during experimental thiamine deficiency.
abstract: The intrinsic contractile properties of isolated left ventricular trabecular periods of 24, 40, and 53 days were compared with those from 35 weight-matched food-deprived animals and 25 ad libitum fed controls. Contraction mechanics were measured for each muscle when stretched to the peak of its length tension curve at 28 degrees C in oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution. Although both thiamine-deficient and food-deprived groups had a marked diminution in body and left ventricular weight in comparison to ad libitum fed controls, no differences in left ventricular weights from thiamine-deficient and food-deprived rats were observed. In comparison to ad libitum fed control animals, food-deprived rats exhibited a prolongation in the duration of muscle contraction and an augmentation of tension development after 40 days. Upon appearance of neurological signs at an average of 53 days of a thiamine-deficient rats exhibited a decrease in performance associated with a decrease in the duration of contraction and rate of tension development.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D005215:Fasting; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D013832:Thiamine Deficiency / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014174:Transketolase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014174:Transketolase