scholarly journals Contributions of Stretch Activation to Length-dependent Contraction in Murine Myocardium

2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian E. Stelzer ◽  
Richard L. Moss

The steep relationship between systolic force production and end diastolic volume (Frank-Starling relationship) in myocardium is a potentially important mechanism by which the work capacity of the heart varies on a beat-to-beat basis, but the molecular basis for the effects of myocardial fiber length on cardiac work are still not well understood. Recent studies have suggested that an intrinsic property of myocardium, stretch activation, contributes to force generation during systolic ejection in myocardium. To examine the role of stretch activation in length dependence of activation we recorded the force responses of murine skinned myocardium to sudden stretches of 1% of muscle length at both short (1.90 μm) and long (2.25 μm) sarcomere lengths (SL). Maximal Ca2+-activated force and Ca2+ sensitivity of force were greater at longer SL, such that more force was produced at a given Ca2+ concentration. Sudden stretch of myocardium during an otherwise isometric contraction resulted in a concomitant increase in force that quickly decayed to a minimum and was followed by a delayed development of force, i.e., stretch activation, to levels greater than prestretch force. At both maximal and submaximal activations, increased SL significantly reduced the initial rate of force decay following stretch; at submaximal activations (but not at maximal) the rate of delayed force development was accelerated. This combination of mechanical effects of increased SL would be expected to increase force generation during systolic ejection in vivo and prolong the period of ejection. These results suggest that sarcomere length dependence of stretch activation contributes to the steepness of the Frank-Starling relationship in living myocardium.

2000 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 1678-1684 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. F. Bu Sha ◽  
S. J. England ◽  
R. A. Parisi ◽  
R. J. Strobel

Resting muscle length affects both maximum force production and force maintenance. The strength and force maintenance characteristics of the genioglossus as a function of resting muscle length have not been described. We hypothesized that genioglossus optimum length ( L o) could be defined in vivo and that the ability of the genioglossus to sustain a given workload would decrease as resting length deviated from L o. To test this, 11 normal men repeated maximal isometric genioglossus protrusions at different muscle lengths to determine L o. L o was also obtained by using submaximal efforts while simultaneously recording electromyographic activity of the genioglossus, with L o defined as the length at which the force-to-genioglossus electromyographic activity ratio was maximum. Both methods provided similar results. Force maintenance was measured at four muscle lengths on separate days. Target efforts representing 60% of each subject's maximum at L o and lasting 5 s were performed at 12-s intervals. Time limit of endurance of the genioglossus was defined as the time from trial onset at which 90% of the target could not be maintained for three consecutive efforts. Time limit of endurance was greatest at L o and fell to 47.5% at L o + 1 cm, 53.8% at L o − 1 cm, and 47.4% at L o − 1.5 cm. We conclude that L o of the genioglossus can be determined in vivo and that force maintenance of the genioglossus is decreased when operating length deviates from L o.


2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Can A. Yucesoy ◽  
Önder Emre Arıkan ◽  
Filiz Ateş

Measurement of forces of mono- and bi-articular muscles of an entire intact muscle compartment can allow for a comprehensive assessment of the effects of Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) both at and beyond the injection site, and in conditions close to those in vivo. The goal was to test the hypotheses that BTX-A affects (1) the forces of not only the injected but also the noninjected muscles of the compartment, and (2) epimuscular myofascial force transmission (EMFT). Two groups of Wistar rats were tested: Control (no BTX-A injected) and BTX (0.1 units of BTX-A were injected exclusively to the mid-belly of TA). Isometric forces were measured simultaneously at the distal tendons of the tibialis anterior (TA) at different lengths, the restrained extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and the extensor hallucis longus (EHL) muscles and at the proximal tendon of EDL. Five days post-injection, BTX-A did affect the total forces of all muscles significantly: (1) The TA force decreased differentially (by 46.6%–55.9%) for most lengths such that a significant negative correlation was found between force reductions and increased muscle length. The maximum TA force decreased by 47.3%. However, the muscle’s length range of force production did not change significantly. (2) Distal and proximal EDL forces decreased (on average by 67.8% and 62.9%, respectively). (3) The EHL force also decreased (on average by 9.2%). The passive forces of only the TA showed a significant increase at higher lengths. EMFT effects were shown for the control group: (1) at the shortest TA lengths, the EDL proximo-distal force differences were in favor of the distal force, which was reversed at higher lengths. (2) the EHL force measured at the shortest TA length decreased (by 34%) as a function of TA lengthening. After BTX-A exposure, such EMFT effects disappeared for the EDL, whereas they remained as profound for the EHL. Exposure to BTX-A does affect forces of all muscles operating in an intact compartment. For the BTX-A injected muscle, the reduction in muscle force becomes less pronounced at higher muscle lengths. BTX-A also has effects on EMFT, however, these effects are not uniform within the anterior crural compartment. Decreased forces of the noninjected synergistic muscles suggest the presence of unintended additional effects of BTX-A both for the targeted distal joint and for the nontargeted proximal joint.


2021 ◽  
Vol 153 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurin M. Hanft ◽  
Daniel P. Fitzsimons ◽  
Timothy A. Hacker ◽  
Richard L. Moss ◽  
Kerry S. McDonald

The Frank–Starling relationship establishes that elevated end-diastolic volume progressively increases ventricular pressure and stroke volume in healthy hearts. The relationship is modulated by a number of physiological inputs and is often depressed in human heart failure. Emerging evidence suggests that cardiac myosin-binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) contributes to the Frank–Starling relationship. We measured contractile properties at multiple levels of structural organization to determine the role of cMyBP-C and its phosphorylation in regulating (1) the sarcomere length dependence of power in cardiac myofilaments and (2) the Frank–Starling relationship in vivo. We compared transgenic mice expressing wild-type cMyBP-C on the null background, which have ∼50% phosphorylated cMyBP-C (Controls), to transgenic mice lacking cMyBP-C (KO) and to mice expressing cMyBP-C that have serine-273, -282, and -302 mutated to aspartate (cMyBP-C t3SD) or alanine (cMyBP-C t3SA) on the null background to mimic either constitutive PKA phosphorylation or nonphosphorylated cMyBP-C, respectively. We observed a continuum of length dependence of power output in myocyte preparations. Sarcomere length dependence of power progressively increased with a rank ordering of cMyBP-C KO = cMyBP-C t3SA < Control < cMyBP-C t3SD. Length dependence of myofilament power translated, at least in part, to hearts, whereby Frank–Starling relationships were steepest in cMyBP-C t3SD mice. The results support the hypothesis that cMyBP-C and its phosphorylation state tune sarcomere length dependence of myofibrillar power, and these regulatory processes translate across spatial levels of myocardial organization to control beat-to-beat ventricular performance.


1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (5) ◽  
pp. C1308-C1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Guilford ◽  
R. C. Lantz ◽  
R. W. Gore

We report here the first time-resolved measurements of the forces produced during the migration of single leukocytes in vivo and in vitro. Pulmonary macrophages from hamsters and mice, in vitro, and Nembutal (pentobarbital sodium)-anesthetized hamster neutrophils, in vivo, generated maximum locomotive forces ranging from 1.9 to 10.7 nN or tenths of microdynes. Force production was periodic and correlated with the length of the leading lamellipod but not with generalized cell ruffling. Although the extension of the leading lamella is critical to locomotive force generation, these direct measurements suggest that lamellar extension may not arise from the same contractile processes driving forward motion of the cell mass. Indeed, cell ruffling, lamellar extension, and locomotive force generation may be differentially controlled and have different origins. This technique may be extended to test numerous hypotheses of how these and other nonmuscle cells crawl.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Junya Saeki ◽  
Soichiro Iwanuma ◽  
Suguru Torii

The structure of the first toe is independent of that of the other toes, while the functional difference remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in the force generation characteristics between the plantar-flexion of the first and second–fifth metatarsophalangeal joints (MTPJs) by comparing the maximal voluntary plantar-flexion torques (MVC torque) at different MTPJs and ankle positions. The MVC torques of the first and second–fifth MTPJs were measured at 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45° dorsiflexed positions of the MTPJs, and at 20° plantar-flexed, neutral, and 20° dorsiflexed positions of the ankle. Two-way repeated measures analyses of variance with Holm’s multiple comparison test (MTPJ position × ankle position) were performed. When the MTPJ was dorsiflexed at 0°, 15°, and 30°, the MVC torque of the first MTPJ when the ankle was dorsiflexed at 20° was higher than that when the ankle was plantar-flexed at 20°. However, the ankle position had no significant effect on the MVC torque of the second–fifth MTPJ. Thus, the MVC torque of the first MTPJ was more affected by the ankle position than the second–fifth MTPJs.


Author(s):  
Willemijn H. F. Huijgen ◽  
Paul F. Gründeman ◽  
Tycho van der Spoel ◽  
Maarten-Jan Cramer ◽  
Paul Steendijk ◽  
...  

Objective Endoventricular circular patch plasty is a method used to reconstruct the ventricular cavity in patients with (post) ischemic left ventricular aneurysm or global dilatation. However, late redilatation with mitral regurgitation has been reported, in which postoperative apex shape seems to play an important role. We studied the feasibility of ventricular volume downsizing with a variably shaped patch in porcine hearts. Methods In five in vitro and two acute animal experiments, a dyskinetic aneurysm was simulated with a pericardial insert. Reducing patch surface by changing patch shape diminished end-diastolic volume. In vitro, static end-diastolic volume was determined for each patch shape using volumetry and echocardiography. In the acute animal experiments, preliminary observations of patch behavior in live material were made, and pressure/time relationship, dPdTmax, was registered. Results In vitro, bringing the convex patch into a flat plane reduced LV volume from 66 ± 7 mL (aneurysm) to 49 ± 5 mL. Four of 5 patch shapes further reduced volume to a mean of 38 ± 7 mL (P = 0.03). The in vitro echocardiographic measurements correlated with volumetry findings (r = 0.81). In the acute animal experiments, dPdTmax varied with patch shape, independent of volume changes. Conclusions In this pilot study, in vitro shape configuration of the resizable ventricular patch resulted in a calibrated end-diastolic volume reduction. The data of the two in vivo pilot experiments clearly indicate that change in patch configuration in the situation of more or less unchanged end-diastolic volume had impact on cardiac performance. Future studies must substantiate the results of this observation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (7) ◽  
pp. R811-R821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Gunnarsson ◽  
Peter M. Christensen ◽  
Martin Thomassen ◽  
Lars R. Nielsen ◽  
Jens Bangsbo

The effects of intensified training in combination with a reduced training volume on muscle ion kinetics, transporters, and work capacity were examined. Eight well-trained cyclists replaced their regular training with speed-endurance training (12 × 30 s sprints) 2–3 times per week and aerobic high-intensity training (4–5 × 3–4 min at 90–100% of maximal heart rate) 1–2 times per week for 7 wk and reduced training volume by 70% (intervention period; IP). The duration of an intense exhaustive cycling bout (EX2; 368 ± 6 W), performed 2.5 min after a 2-min intense cycle bout (EX1), was longer ( P < 0.05) after than before IP (4:16 ± 0:34 vs. 3:37 ± 0:28 min:s), and mean and peak power during a repeated sprint test improved ( P < 0.05) by 4% and 3%, respectively. Femoral venous K+ concentration in recovery from EX1 and EX2 was lowered ( P < 0.05) after compared with before IP, whereas muscle interstitial K+ concentration and net muscle K+ release during exercise was unaltered. No changes in muscle lactate and H+ release during and after EX1 and EX2 were observed, but the in vivo buffer capacity was higher ( P < 0.05) after IP. Expression of the ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel (Kir6.2) decreased by IP, with no change in the strong inward rectifying K+ channel (Kir2.1), muscle Na+-K+ pump subunits, monocarboxylate transporters 1 and 4 (MCT1 and MCT4), and Na+/H+ exchanger 1 (NHE1). In conclusion, 7 wk of intensified training with a reduced training volume improved performance during repeated intense exercise, which was associated with a greater muscle reuptake of K+ and muscle buffer capacity but not with the amount of muscle ion transporters.


2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (21) ◽  
pp. 3621-3627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Herrel ◽  
Jay J. Meyers ◽  
Peter Aerts ◽  
Kiisa C. Nishikawa

SUMMARYChameleons capture prey items using a ballistic tongue projection mechanism that is unique among lizards. During prey capture, the tongue can be projected up to two full body lengths and may extend up to 600 % of its resting length. Being ambush predators, chameleons eat infrequently and take relatively large prey. The extreme tongue elongation (sixfold) and the need to be able to retract fairly heavy prey at any given distance from the mouth are likely to place constraints on the tongue retractor muscles. The data examined here show that in vivo retractor force production is almost constant for a wide range of projection distances. An examination of muscle physiology and of the ultrastructure of the tongue retractor muscle shows that this is the result (i) of active hyoid retraction, (ii) of large muscle filament overlap at maximal tongue extension and (iii) of the supercontractile properties of the tongue retractor muscles. We suggest that the chameleon tongue retractor muscles may have evolved supercontractile properties to enable a substantial force to be produced over a wide range of tongue projection distances. This enables chameleons successfully to retract even large prey from a variety of distances in their complex three-dimensional habitat.


1998 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 200-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Jakobi ◽  
E. Cafarelli

Jakobi, J. M., and E. Cafarelli. Neuromuscular drive and force production are not altered during bilateral contractions. J. Appl. Physiol. 84(1): 200–206, 1998.—Several investigators have studied the deficit in maximal voluntary force that is said to occur when bilateral muscle groups contract simultaneously. A true bilateral deficit (BLD) would suggest a significant limitation of neuromuscular control; however, some of the data from studies in the literature are equivocal. Our purpose was to determine whether there is a BLD in the knee extensors of untrained young male subjects during isometric contractions and whether this deficit is associated with a decreased activation of the quadriceps, increased activation of the antagonist muscle, or an alteration in motor unit firing rates. Twenty subjects performed unilateral (UL) and bilateral (BL) isometric knee extensions at 25, 50, 75, and 100% maximal voluntary contraction. Total UL and BL force (Δ3%) and maximal rate of force generation (Δ2.5%) were not significantly different. Total UL and BL maximal vastus lateralis electromyographic activity (EMG; 2.7 ± 0.28 vs. 2.6 ± 0.24 mV) and coactivation (0.17 ± 0.02 vs. 0.20 ± 0.02 mV) were also not different. Similarly, the ratio of force to EMG during submaximal UL and BL contractions was not different. Analysis of force production by each leg in UL and BL conditions showed no differences in force, rate of force generation, EMG, motor unit firing rates, and coactivation. Finally, assessment of quadriceps activity with the twitch interpolation technique indicated no differences in the degree of voluntary muscle activation (UL: 93.6 ± 2.51 Hz, BL: 90.1 ± 2.43 Hz). These results provide no evidence of a significant limitation in neuromuscular control between BL and UL isometric contractions of the knee extensor muscles in young male subjects.


1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (8) ◽  
pp. 1798-1801 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Renaud ◽  
R. B. Stein ◽  
T. Gordon

Changes in force and stiffness during contractions of mouse extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles were measured over a range of extracellular pH from 6.4 to 7.4. Muscle stiffness was measured using small amplitude (<0.1% of muscle length), high frequency (1.5 kHz) oscillations in length. Twitch force was not significantly affected by changes in pH, but the peak force during repetitive stimulation (2, 3, and 20 pulses) was decreased significantly as the pH was reduced. Changes in muscle stiffness with pH were in the same direction, but smaller in extent. If the number of attached cross-bridges in the muscle can be determined from the measurement of small amplitude, high frequency muscle stiffness, then these findings suggest that (a) the number of cross-bridges between thick and thin filaments declines in low pH and (b) the average force per cross-bridge also declines in low pH. The decline in force per cross-bridge could arise from a reduction in the ability of cross-bridges to generate force during their state of active force production and (or) in an increased percentage of bonds in a low force, "rigor" state.


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