Effect of increasing duration of denervation on the rate of entry of inorganic phosphate into rat gastrocnemius muscle.

The increased inorganic phosphate flow, characteristic of denervated gastrocnemius muscle, is shown to have no direct relation with either the loss of muscle mass or with the concentrations of the acid-soluble phosphate fractions. It is shown to increase hyperbolically with the time elapsed since the nerve section. The asymptotic value reached after thirty days suggests the presence of a saturable mechanism.