title: Mechanical, biochemical, and structural effects of vitamin D deficiency on the chick heart.
abstract: The effects of vitamin D deprivation on the chick heart were investigated from three aspects: cardiac contractility (+/- dP/dT), intracellular high-energy phosphorus compounds, and structural differences. Four-week-old vitamin D-deficient chicks were divided into four groups: Group A served as the normal group and received subcutaneous injections of cholecalciferol; Groups B and C were vitamin D-deficient hearts but perfused differently; Group D received daily subcutaneous injections of 5 micrograms of 1,25(OH)2D3. When the isolated spontaneously beating hearts (modified Langendorff preparation) were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit (KH) solution containing a calcium concentration of 2.5mM, the myocardial contractility of the vitamin D-deficient hearts was significantly increased when compared with group A. After the isolated heart had beaten for one hour, the myocardial contractility in the vitamin D-deficient hearts was found to decline to significantly lower values. Presacrifice administration of 1,25(OH)2D3 improved cardiac performance. Vitamin D deficiency resulted in an enhanced rate of decline of the intracellular high-energy phosphorus compounds. No differences were found in the microscopic study. These observations suggest that vitamin D has a role in cardiac function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Ichilov Hospital, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hochhauser
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barak
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kushnir
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Navon
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Edelstein
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Ben Bassat
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Vidne
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D010725:Phosphocreatine / Q000378:metabolism; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D010725:Phosphocreatine; D010758:Phosphorus; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D002118:Calcium