DYSTROPHIN-DEFICIENT MDX MUSCLE IS NOT PRONE TO MH SUSCEPTIBILITY - AN IN-VITRO STUDY

The association between malignant hyperthermia (MH) and neuromuscular disorders is controversial. An association between MH and Duchenne mus cular dystrophy, a common and lethal disorder caused by deficiency of dystrophin, has been reported sporadically but is still not proved. To examine this problem, we performed halothane and caffeine in vitro co ntracture tests on skeletal muscles from dystrophin deficient mdx mice , an animal model for human Duchenne muscular dystrophy. As neither ha lothane nor caffeine triggered abnormal responses in mdx muscles, we c onclude that dystrophin deficiency per se is not the primary cause of MH-like crises, as reported for patients with Duchenne muscular dystro phy.