title: Tension and instantaneous stiffness of single muscle fibers immersed in Ringer solution of decreased tonicity.
abstract: Isometric tension and instantaneous stiffness were measured in frog semitendinosus single muscle fibers in both isotonic and hypotonic Ringer solution. In 0.7 and 0.5 x normal Ringer tension increased 17 and 20%, respectively. There was no corresponding increase in the measured stiffness. The increase in tension in hypotonic Ringer could be reversed by the addition of an osmotic equivalent of sucrose to the bathing solution. These findings suggest that the potentiated tension observed in hypotonic Ringer is due to an increased tension per cross-bridge and not to an increase in the number of attached cross-bridges.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Bressler
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuba
mesh_terms: D000663:Amphibians; D000818:Animals; D007038:Hypotonic Solutions; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007537:Isometric Contraction; D007552:Isotonic Solutions; D007700:Kinetics; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D000077331:Ringer's Solution; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007038:Hypotonic Solutions; D007552:Isotonic Solutions; D000077331:Ringer's Solution