title: Effects of mechanical interaction between two rabbit cardiac muscles connected in parallel.
abstract: The hypothesis that myocardium mechanical inhomogeneity produces a substantial effect on mechanical function was tested. Muscle inhomogeneity was studied in isolated papillary muscles or trabeculae excised from rabbit right ventricle and connected in a parallel duplex. Each muscle was placed in a separate perfusion bath. One end of each muscle was fastened to an individual force transducer and the other to the common lever of a servomotor. This arrangement allowed both muscles, being excited independently, to pull jointly a load applied to the lever. Separate electrodes for each perfusion bath allowed to stimulate muscles with a time delay. Tension developed in the individual muscles and their interaction were studied. Developed tension was critically dependent on the timing and sequence of excitation. Using mathematical modeling, patterns of tension distribution experimentally observed in parallel duplexes were simulated. These results suggest that changes both in Ca(2+) transients and in the time course of Ca(2+)-troponin complexion due to the duplexed muscles interaction offset the effect of mechanical inhomogeneity.
authors.affiliation: Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microorganisms' Genetic and Ecology, Ekaterinburg, Russia.
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Markhasin
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Nikitina
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Routkevich
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Katsnelson
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Schroder
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Keller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004548:Elasticity; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D009206:Myocardium; D010210:Papillary Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D016276:Ventricular Function