Shortening heat in slow- and fast-twitch muscles of the rat

Shortening heat has been reported in several amphibian skeletal muscles. In this investigation, shortening heat has been investigated in both soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of young rats. The procedure involved shortening the muscles through two different distances, at near maximum velocity and at the onset of a summated twitch from different initial lengths. At the end of the shortening period, the muscle contracted isometrically, and the stress and associated heat production were recorded. These heat-stress data were compared with heat-stress data of isometric twitches at different initial lengths. There was a parallel upward shift in energy output when shortening occurred, indicating the presence of a shortening heat. Shortening heat increased with the distance shortened in soleus, but this was not the case for EDL. The values for the shortening heat coefficient for both muscle types are slightly higher than those reported for amphibian skeletal muscle and suggest that shortening heat is a significant component of the energy output of mammalian skeletal muscle.