Noninvasive measurements of activity-induced changes in muscle metabolism

Two noninvasive measurement techniques were used to monitor activity-induced changes in skeletal muscle in humans. Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (P-MRS) was used to measure changes in energy metabolism by measuring the ratio of inorganic phosphate to phosphocreatine (Pi/PCr) during steady level work in the wrist flexor muscles in a 30 cm bore, 1.9 Telsa magnet, and the rate of PCr recovery from exercise in the calf muscles in a 76 cm bore, 1.8 Tesla magnet. Near red spectroscopy (NRS) was used to measure changes in oxygen saturation of hemoglobin and myoglobin during and after exercise. Fourteen days of wrist flexion exercise resulted in significant improvement in muscle metabolism as measured by MRS. This improvement disappeared after 35 days of inactivity. Indications of muscle stress during training such as muscle soreness and decreased maximum strength were associated with increases in resting Pi/PCr. A similar training protocol using plantar flexion exercise resulted in an improved rate of PCr resynthesis, which returned to control values 42 days after training stopped. NRS measurements of the wrist flexor muscles during a ramp exercise protocol demonstrated a decrease in the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin-myoglobin from 60% at rest to 15% at the highest work levels. The half time of recovery of oxygen saturation was faster than that of PCr in both young and old subjects, supporting the hypothesis that oxygen delivery is not rate limiting in submaximal exercise in healthy individuals.