xsmall

small

medium

RAJDEEP BHATTACHARJEE 

Rigor mortis

Rigor mortis is a postmortem change resulting in the stiffening of the body muscles due to chemical changes in their myofibrils. Rigor mortis helps in estimating the time since death as well to ascertain if the body had been moved after death.
Causes of Rigor Mortis 
The conversion of ATP to ADP is required by muscle fibers, which move in life due to the sliding filament theory. After death, when respiration stops, the intracellular pH drops as lactic and pyruvic acid are produced. Glycogen depletion and hence lower ATP concentrations are caused by the anaerobic metabolism of glycogen in the muscles. Calcium also leaks into the sarcomere, where actin and myosin protein filaments are arranged in an alternating pattern, where calcium binds, allowing cross-linking to occur between the filaments. This generates a pulling motion along the muscle's length, making it shorter and stiffer.

Rigor mortis

Recent MCQs

Recent flashcard sets