Effects of exercise on the adenosinetriphosphatase activity in skeletal and heart muscle of rats.

Abstract

Fifty-eight male albino rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain with an average beginning weight of 340 grams were exercised for 5 weeks on a training program consisting of one-half hour daily swim in water at 37 °C. Pair-fed, non swimming animals served as controls. ATPase activities were determined on the heart ventricles and gastrocnemii. The results were expressed in terms of unit, actual total and relative total activities. The exercise significantly altered the enzymatic activities of the heart ventricles (P<o.01) while no significant enzymatic changes occurred in the skeletal muscle.