TY - JOUR

T1 - Training and muscle ammonia and amino acid metabolism in humans during prolonged exercise

AU - Graham, T E

AU - Turcotte, L P

AU - Kiens, Bente

AU - Richter, Erik A.

PY - 1995

Y1 - 1995

N2 - We studied the responses of NH3 and amino acids (AA) to prolonged exercise (3 h) in trained (Tr; n = 6) and untrained (Utr; n = 6) men. Each subject exercised the knee extensor muscles of one leg at 60% of maximum capacity. Thigh blood flow and femoral arteriovenous differences (0, 30, 60, 120, 150, and 180 min) as well as muscle biopsies (0, 120, and 180 min) were taken for NH3 and AA measurements. In both groups, muscle Glu decreased (P < 0.05) and Asp increased (P < 0.05), but the intramuscular AA pool, including the essential AA, remained constant despite a total AA efflux of 22.4 +/- 8.3 and 24.4 +/- 6.8 mmol/kg wet wt in Tr and Utr, respectively. Tr had greater (P < 0.05) muscle Tau, Phe, Ala, and Glu. Both groups had a large Glu uptake and effluxes of NH3, Gln, and Ala as well as essential AA. The latter implies that there was a net protein catabolism. The efflux of NH3 and Gln was much greater than that expected from AMP deamination, suggesting that deamination of AA was occurring. Many of the AA responses use Glu, and Tr maintained the intramuscular Glu pool at a higher concentration (P < 0.05), implying that they derived more Glu from protein catabolism and/or AA transaminations. Under these conditions, prolonged dynamic knee extensor exercise is associated with a large release of alpha-amino moieties both as NH3 and as Gln as well as a net protein catabolism; these responses are similar in Tr and Utr.

AB - We studied the responses of NH3 and amino acids (AA) to prolonged exercise (3 h) in trained (Tr; n = 6) and untrained (Utr; n = 6) men. Each subject exercised the knee extensor muscles of one leg at 60% of maximum capacity. Thigh blood flow and femoral arteriovenous differences (0, 30, 60, 120, 150, and 180 min) as well as muscle biopsies (0, 120, and 180 min) were taken for NH3 and AA measurements. In both groups, muscle Glu decreased (P < 0.05) and Asp increased (P < 0.05), but the intramuscular AA pool, including the essential AA, remained constant despite a total AA efflux of 22.4 +/- 8.3 and 24.4 +/- 6.8 mmol/kg wet wt in Tr and Utr, respectively. Tr had greater (P < 0.05) muscle Tau, Phe, Ala, and Glu. Both groups had a large Glu uptake and effluxes of NH3, Gln, and Ala as well as essential AA. The latter implies that there was a net protein catabolism. The efflux of NH3 and Gln was much greater than that expected from AMP deamination, suggesting that deamination of AA was occurring. Many of the AA responses use Glu, and Tr maintained the intramuscular Glu pool at a higher concentration (P < 0.05), implying that they derived more Glu from protein catabolism and/or AA transaminations. Under these conditions, prolonged dynamic knee extensor exercise is associated with a large release of alpha-amino moieties both as NH3 and as Gln as well as a net protein catabolism; these responses are similar in Tr and Utr.

KW - Adult

KW - Amino Acids

KW - Ammonia

KW - Blood Glucose

KW - Blood Pressure

KW - Ergometry

KW - Exercise

KW - Humans

KW - Lipids

KW - Male

KW - Muscle, Skeletal

KW - Physical Education and Training

KW - Regional Blood Flow

KW - Thigh

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 7759446

VL - 78

SP - 725

EP - 735

JO - Journal of Applied Physiology

JF - Journal of Applied Physiology

SN - 8750-7587

IS - 2

ER -