Reversible depression in myocardial performance in dogs with experimental phosphorus deficiency

The effects of phosphorus depletion on cardiac muscle function in six awake dogs were evaluated with surgically implanted transducers to serially measure ascending aortic root blood flow and high fidelity left ventricular pressure. After the animals recovered from surgery, phosphorus depletion was induced by feeding them a synthetic phosphorus-deficient diet plus aluminum carbonate gel for 35 days, followed by the same diet with phosphorus supplementation for 21 days. In addition to the cardiac studies, sequential measurements of phosphorus content in skeletal muscle and phosphorus in serum were obtained to ascertain the level of phosphorus depletion. Serum inorganic phosphorus concentration (mg/100 ml) decreased from 5.1 +/- 0.1 on day 0 to 0.9 +/- 0.1 on day 35 (P less than 0.01), and total muscle phosphorus (content mmul/100 g fat-free dry weight) decreased from 28.0 +/- on day 0 to 22.6 +/- 0.5 on day 35 (P less than 0.01). During the period of phosphorus depletion, there was no significant change in heart rate; however, stroke volume (milliliter) and peak blood flow velocity (centimeter per second) declined from 24 +/- 2 to 17 +/- 2 (P less than 0.01) and 121 +/- 12 to 98 +/- 7 (P less than 0.01), respectively. Maximum ascending aortic blood flow acceleration (centimeter per second square) and maximum left ventricular time rate of change of pressure (mm Hg per second) also decreased from 4,630 +/- 313 to 3,817 +/0 346 (P less than 0.01) and 2,582 +/- 347 to 2,120 +/- 297 (P less than 0.01) during phosphorus depletion. After repletion all values returned to control values. These results indicate that moderate diet-induced phosphorus depletion can depress myocardial performance. With repletion of phosphorus, myocardial performance improves.