Efficiency of work performance and contraction velocity in isotonic tetani of frog sartorius

Mechanical work, ATP, ADP, PC, free creatine and lactate concentrations were determined on IAA poisoned frog sartorii tetanically stimulated in humidified N2 at 10 degrees C in isotonic conditions (0.25 or 0.45 Po). Tetanus duration was 0.35 s, number of tetani was varied from 0 (rest) to 25 (exhaustion). The mechanical work performed per mole ATP + PC split (W*P) amounted on the average to 16.7 kJ/mol. It was observed, however, that W*P increased from about 13 to about 24 kJ/mol with decreasing ATP concentration from about 2 (resting value) to about 1 mumol/g and that this decrease in ATP was associated with a decrease of the shortening (and relaxation) speed of the muscle to about 30% of the values observed on the first tetanus. It is concluded that the thermodynamic efficiency of muscle contraction, calculated from the ratio of WP* (measured) to the thermodynamic affinity (free energy change) of ATP hydrolysis (estimated) increases from about 0.3 to about 0.5 with decreasing ATP concentration and shortening speed.