A simple self-consistent distribution-moment model for muscle: Chemical energy and heat rates (Q1089276)

A distribution-moment model of skeletal muscle is derived from a two- state ''self-consistent'' kinetic-molecular model of the type proposed by \textit{T. L. Hill} [see e.g. Free energy transduction in biology. pp. 103- 129, New York (1977)]. The rate equations of the model contain only elementary functions, and it is shown that under dynamic conditions solutions of these equations yield good approximations to the first three moments of the exact bond-distribution function (these three moments represent the instantaneous muscle stiffness, force, and elastic energy stored in the cross-bridges). A novel feature of this is that with appropriate choices of parameters it predicts a small experimentally observed decrease of the heat-liberation rate below the isometric level (''maintenance heat'') in slow muscle stretches.