[Experimental studies on a compartment syndrome caused by a tourniquet].

The muscle proteins of rabbits with the compartment syndrome caused by tourniquet were studied by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the compartment pressure post-ischemia was measured. The post-ischemic pressure in the anterior compartment increased more than that in the deep-posterior compartment. The phoretic patterns of structural and soluble proteins changed after ischemia, and their degeneration appeared to depend on the degree of pressure increase. In ischemic contracture, the patterns of myosin light chains of type 1 fibers changed to those of type 2 fibers. This indicated the possibility of fiber type transformation from type 1 to type 2 in ischemic contracture.