Contraction and relaxation of isolated cardiac myocytes of the frog under varying mechanical loads.
The mechanics of cardiac systole and relaxation have been studied primarily at the
cellular level. The present study was undertaken to determine the mechanical properties of isolated cardiac myocytes of the frog under varying mechanical loads. The myocytes were isolated by enzymatic digestion of the heart and were studied in a specially designed chamber. The chamber was mounted on a servomotor and the myocytes were subjected to a variety