Cardiac muscle regeneration

This study analyzed the regenerative ability of cardiac muscle in the rat. Normal cardiac muscle from the rat was minced into one mm 3 fragments and homotransplanted into a gastrocnemius cavity of a non-sibling rat. At 45 days post surgery the regenerated tissue was removed and histological characteristics and oxidative capacity of the tissue were regenerate revealed the presence of myofibers. These myofibers of the cardiac regenerate typically exhibited centrally located, large, oval nuclei and branching. Both of these histological characteristics are typical of normal cardiac muscle. The absence of definitive intercalated discs though precluded conclusive identification of the myofibers of the cardiac regenerate as cardiac myofibers. The oxidative data showed that the cardiac regenerate consumed oxygen at a rate of 2.69X103 ± 2.96X102 (SE)y1 02/g X hr-1 this was found to be 4.9 times lower than normal cardiac tissue. The reason for this diminution is attributed to the observatiBall State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306Thesis (M.S.