Analysis of thermopile records from contracting isolated cardiac muscle.

Recovery heat production after contraction in rabbit papillary muscle at 20 degrees C occurs at an exponentially declining rate. The time constant describing this decline is 25 s; it is not different when 10 twitches or when a steady-state twitch train is studied, and it is unaltered by changing stimulus frequency from 0.125 to 0.2 Hz. The same value has previously been found after single twitches. If it is assumed that phosphocreatine (PCr) resynthesis is the cause of recovery heat production and that it occurs also during contractions at a rate proportional to the amount of PCr depletion, it is possible to divide the total heat production for any period of stimulation into that caused by this recovery process (R) and that caused by initial (I) processes (presumed to be PCr splitting). The value of R/I obtained by using this method is 1.10 +/- 0.04 (means +/- SE, n = 27 muscles), close to the theoretical value of 1.13. The correspondence between the measured and the predicted ratio supports the assumptions underlying the measurement. Thus in heart muscle the heat produced during and after contraction can be explained by PCr splitting and reformation. The older Bugnard method of analysis applied to the same data gives an R/I value of 1.5; the reasons for the discrepancy are described.