Abstract
In connection with studies on the mechanism of cardiac hypertrophy we have analyzed the muscle from 8 hearts of rabbits in which we have experimentally produced cardiac hypertrophy by section of aortic cusps. These animals were sacrificed 14 to 18 weeks after the valve incompetency had been produced. The hearts were divided and the muscle from each ventricle was analyzed for creatine by Myer's modification 1 of the method of Rose, Helmer and Chanutin. These values were reduced to terms of dried weight by drying one sample at 105°C. to a constant weight, thus determining the percentage of solids. The average normal creatine and total solids values for large rabbits such as were used in this series were 180 mg. % and 22.3%.
Eight rabbits with varying grades of hypertrophy from moderate to great degree showed creatine levels which were high in a few instances but dropped to normal and definitely low levels as the amount of hypertrophy increased. There is a slight drop in total solids, especially of the left ventricle muscle indicating a slight increase probably in intracellular fluid content.
In spite of the relatively lowered creatine concentration in the presence of great work hypertrophy the actual creatine content of the individual heart was distinctly elevated. This type of cardiac hypertrophy is comparable to that of hypertension.
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