Ultrastructural and biochemical enzymatic properties of right ventricular muscles during hindlimb suspension in rats
Kunishima, T.
Nihon Seirigaku Zasshi. Journal of the Physiological Society of Japan 55(4): 153-164
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0031-9341 PMID: 8331601 Document Number: 408577
As a result of exposure to microgravitational forces, the body fluids are shifted from lower part of the body to upper part with a volume of about 2 liters. Many reports on the hemodynamic, humoral, and other biomedical aspects of the body exposed by weightlessness have been reported. A 45 degree head-down tail suspension was introduced to examine ultrastructure and biochemical analyses on the right and left ventricles in rats. Increases in oxydative enzyme activities and relatively increase in m-CK(mitochondrial creatine kinase) were recognized in the right ventricle after suspension for 2 weeks. Mitochondrial volume and density of mitochondrial cristae were also increased. Direct measurement of right ventricular systolic pressure of suspended rats were significantly higher (28.99 +/- 3.11 mmHg) than that of control rats (20.99 +/- 2.94 mmHg), (p < 0.01).