title: In Vivo Assessment of Muscle Contractility in Animal Studies.
abstract: In patients with muscle injury or muscle disease, assessment of muscle damage is typically limited to clinical signs, such as tenderness, strength, range of motion, and more recently, imaging studies. Animal models provide unmitigated access to histological samples, which provide a "direct measure" of damage. However, even with unconstrained access to tissue morphology and biochemistry assays, the findings typically do not account for loss of muscle function. Thus, the most comprehensive measure of the overall health of the muscle is assessment of its primary function, which is to produce contractile force. The majority of animal models testing contractile force have been limited to the muscle groups moving the ankle, with advantages and disadvantages depending on the equipment. Here, we describe in vivo methods to measure torque, to produce a reliable muscle injury, and to follow muscle function within the same animal over time. We also describe in vivo methods to measure tension in the leg and thigh muscles.
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
authors: Shama R
authors: SR
authors: Iyer
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
authors: Ana P
authors: AP
authors: Valencia
authors: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
authors: Erick O
authors: EO
authors: Hernández-Ochoa
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 100 Penn St., AHB, Room 540, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA. rlovering@som.umaryland.edu.
authors: Richard M
authors: RM
authors: Lovering
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D051379:Mice; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D053580:Muscle Strength; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats
keywords: Contractile function; Injury; Lengthening contraction; Skeletal muscle; Specific force; Torque