Influence of connective tissue on swelling exhibited by muscles in vitro

¹ Departments of Physiology and Chemistry, Medical College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Analysis of rat skeletal muscle was made before and after immersion in a slightly hypo-osmotic solution. Similar studies were made on pieces of subcutaneous connective tissue. Total sodium, potassium, chloride, nitrogen, water, and weight were determined. The amount of connective tissue space within the whole muscle was estimated by determining thiocyanate space. From these studies calculations were made to determine the contribution of connective tissue within the whole muscle to electrolyte and water shifts exhibited by the whole muscle on immersion in a solution. It was found that almost all weight and water gained by whole muscle could be attributed to its contained connective tissue. However, muscle cells did exhibit an intracellular dilution because of a slight inward movement of water, a loss of cation and of cellular protein. Connective tissue itself appeared to be only diluted on immersion. The cause of this dilution is discussed.