Research

Muscle oxidative metabolism accelerates with mild acidosis during incremental intermittent isometric plantar flexion exercise

Toshiyuki Homma^1,2*, Takafumi Hamaoka^3,1, Takayuki Sako⁴, Motohide Murakami¹, Kazuki Esaki⁵, Ryotaro Kime¹ and Toshihito Katsumura¹

• * Corresponding author: Toshiyuki Homma homma.toshiyuki@jiss.naash.go.jp

Author Affiliations

¹ Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Tokyo Medical University, 6-1-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8402, Japan

² Department of Sports Sciences, Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, 3-15-1 Nishigaoka, Kita-ku, Tokyo, 115-0056, Japan

³ Department of Sports Performance, National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, Shiromizu-cho 1, Kagoshima, 891-2393, Japan

⁴ Department of Food and Nutrition, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan

⁵ Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, 305-8574, Japan

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Dynamic Medicine 2005, 4:2 doi:10.1186/1476-5918-4-2

Published: 20 February 2005

Abstract

Background

It has been thought that intramuscular ADP and phosphocreatine (PCr) concentrations are important regulators of mitochondorial respiration. There is a threshold work rate or metabolic rate for cellular acidosis, and the decrease in muscle PCr is accelerated with drop in pH during incremental exercise. We tested the hypothesis that increase in muscle oxygen consumption (o_2mus) is accelerated with rapid decrease in PCr (concomitant increase in ADP) in muscles with drop in pH occurs during incremental plantar flexion exercise.

Methods

Five male subjects performed a repetitive intermittent isometric plantar flexion exercise (6-s contraction/4-s relaxation). Exercise intensity was raised every 1 min by 10% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), starting at 10% MVC until exhaustion. The measurement site was at the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle. Changes in muscle PCr, inorganic phosphate (Pi), ADP, and pH were measured by ³¹P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. o_2mus was determined from the rate of decrease in oxygenated hemoglobin and/or myoglobin using near-infrared continuous wave spectroscopy under transient arterial occlusion. Electromyogram (EMG) was also recorded. Pulmonary oxygen uptake (o_2pul ) was measured by the breath-by-breath gas analysis.

Results

EMG amplitude increased as exercise intensity progressed. In contrast, muscle PCr, ADP, o_2mus, and o_2pul did not change appreciably below 40% MVC, whereas above 40% MVC muscle PCr decreased, and ADP, o_2mus, and o_2pul increased as exercise intensity progressed, and above 70% MVC, changes in muscle PCr, ADP, o_2mus, and o_2pul accelerated with the decrease in muscle pH (~6.78). The kinetics of muscle PCr, ADP, o_2mus, and o_2pul were similar, and there was a close correlation between each pair of parameters (r = 0.969~0.983, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

With decrease in pH muscle oxidative metabolism accelerated and changes in intramuscular PCr and ADP accelerated during incremental intermittent isometric plantar flexion exercise. These results suggest that rapid changes in muscle PCr and/or ADP with mild acidosis stimulate accelerative muscle oxidative metabolism.