Twitch tension and initial heat in caffeinized frog muscle

✍ Scribed by Saslow, George

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1936
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 743 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0095-9898
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.1030080308

✦ Synopsis

POT^ City

I n experiments designed to measure the relation of delayed oxidative heat to initial heat in caffeinized frog sartorii it was observed that in some cases the total area of the galvanometer deflection-time curve was less than that of a control heating curve brought to the same maximum, i.e., no delayed heat was produced and the initial heat was less than was to be expected from the size of the maximum deflection (Saslow, '36). Such cases were more frequent, the higher the concentration of caffeine used and the greater the resulting increase in resting heat rate and in twitch tension. It was inferred from their occurrence that increases in the tension/heat ratio might be expected in caffeinized muscles. This expectation was realized. I n a majority of the experiments performed the ratio of tension to initial heat was considerably above the value before caffeinization.