Force potentiation in respiratory muscles: comparison of diaphragm and sternohyoid

Abstract

Coordinated contraction of thoracic and pharyngeal upper airway respiratory muscles optimizes ventilation, whereas pharyngeal muscle dysfunction may lead to obstructive apneas during sleep. We hypothesized that the force potentiation exhibited by the pharyngeal respiratory muscle, the sternohyoid, in keeping with its faster contractile kinetics, would be greater than that of the thoracic respiratory muscle, the diaphragm. Rat muscles were studied in vitro at 37 degrees C with three force-potentiating protocols: posttetanic twitch potentiation, staircase phenomenon (twitch potentiation), and a classic fatigue paradigm. The sternohyoid had a faster isometric contraction time, a more rightward located force-frequency relationship, and both a more rapid onset and a greater degree of fatigue than the diaphragm. During the early portion of the fatigue protocols, the increase in force was significantly greater for the sternohyoid muscle than the diaphragm (e.g., 33 vs. 3% increase at 20 Hz, P < 0.005). During repetitive twitches at 2, 3, and 5 Hz (staircase test), sternohyoid muscle force increased more than diaphragm force at the higher stimulus frequencies (e.g., by 38 vs. 23% at 5 Hz, P < 0.01). After brief tetanic stimuli, sternohyoid twitch force increased more than diaphragm twitch force (e.g., 73 vs. 14% increase after 125 Hz tetanus, P < 0.005). These data indicate that force potentiation is exhibited by both diaphragm and sternohyoid respiratory muscles, but to different extents, when activated repetitively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)