Biomaterial Database

Simultaneous assessment of isometric forces in fast- and slow-twitch muscles of single rat hindlimbs in situ. 1996

A J Carvalho, and N H McKee

Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, ON.

An apparatus, consisting of a pair of small strain gauge transducers, was designed for the simultaneous assessment of isometric contractile function in two muscles, composed of a predominance of either fast- or slow-twitch fibers, and within a single rat hindlimb in situ. This facilitates assessment of mechanical performance of two separate muscles under identical conditions. In anesthetized rats (N = 10), the voltages and frequencies required to produce isometric twitch and tetanic forces from the soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were determined. The apparatus was then used to demonstrate the simultaneous assessment of forces produced by the SOL and EDL from the same hindlimbs (n = 5) during 30 min of fatigue and 30 min of recovery. With this apparatus, data collected were comparable to published data. The apparatus can be used for the simultaneous assessment of isometric contractile function and fatigue in both a fast- and a slow-twitch muscle of a single rat hindlimb in situ.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007537	Isometric Contraction	Muscular contractions characterized by increase in tension without change in length.	Contraction, Isometric,Contractions, Isometric,Isometric Contractions
D009119	Muscle Contraction	A process leading to shortening and/or development of tension in muscle tissue. Muscle contraction occurs by a sliding filament mechanism whereby actin filaments slide inward among the myosin filaments.	Inotropism,Muscular Contraction,Contraction, Muscle,Contraction, Muscular,Contractions, Muscle,Contractions, Muscular,Inotropisms,Muscle Contractions,Muscular Contractions
D004195	Disease Models, Animal	Naturally-occurring or experimentally-induced animal diseases with pathological processes analogous to human diseases.	Animal Disease Model,Animal Disease Models,Disease Model, Animal
D004558	Electric Stimulation	Use of electric potential or currents to elicit biological responses.	Stimulation, Electric,Electrical Stimulation,Electric Stimulations,Electrical Stimulations,Stimulation, Electrical,Stimulations, Electric,Stimulations, Electrical
D005260	Female		Females
D006614	Hindlimb	Either of two extremities of four-footed non-primate land animals. It usually consists of a FEMUR; TIBIA; and FIBULA; tarsals; METATARSALS; and TOES. (From Storer et al., General Zoology, 6th ed, p73)	Hindlimbs
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012584	Sciatic Nerve	A nerve which originates in the lumbar and sacral spinal cord (L4 to S3) and supplies motor and sensory innervation to the lower extremity. The sciatic nerve, which is the main continuation of the sacral plexus, is the largest nerve in the body. It has two major branches, the TIBIAL NERVE and the PERONEAL NERVE.	Nerve, Sciatic,Nerves, Sciatic,Sciatic Nerves
D014159	Transducers	Any device or element which converts an input signal into an output signal of a different form. Examples include the microphone, phonographic pickup, loudspeaker, barometer, photoelectric cell, automobile horn, doorbell, and underwater sound transducer. (McGraw Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)	Transducer
D017208	Rats, Wistar	A strain of albino rat developed at the Wistar Institute that has spread widely at other institutions. This has markedly diluted the original strain.	Wistar Rat,Rat, Wistar,Wistar Rats