[An assessment of myocardial contractility in experimental atherosclerosis]

Experimental atherosclerosis reduced the parameters of the myocardium contractility in rats: the time of reaching the maximum of isometric contractions and the relative time of relaxation were shortened, and the velocity of the muscle shortening was decelerated. These changes seem to be due to a developing hypertrophy of the right ventricle's papillary muscles. The specific feature of the myocardium in rats with atherosclerosis involves a phenomenon of mechanochemical dissociation (inactivation) due, probably, to the effect of dyslipoproteinemia on the contractile processes.