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Updated: Apr 17, 2026
Induction and Assessment of Exertional Skeletal Muscle Damage in Humans
Published on: December 11, 2016
The influence of estradiol on muscle damage and leg strength after intense eccentric exercise
Clare Minahan1, Sarah Joyce, Andrew C Bulmer
1Griffith University Sports Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia, c.minahan@griffith.edu.au.
Purpose:
To examine the influence of estradiol on muscle damage and leg strength after intense eccentric exercise.
Methods:
Eight men (MEN), eight normally menstruating women (WomenNM), and eight women using oral contraceptives (WomenOC) participated in this study. Subjects performed 240 maximal-effort bilateral eccentric contractions of the quadriceps muscle groups designed to elicit exercise-induced muscle damage (EiMD). Serum creatine kinase (CK), myoglobin (Mb), and fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) concentrations were measured before (pre-) EiMD, as well as 0, 6, 24, and 48 h post-EiMD. Peak isometric quadriceps torque (i.e., leg strength) was measured pre-EiMD, as well as 24 and 48 h post-EiMD.
Results:
The increases in CK, Mb, and FABP concentrations from pre- to post-EiMD were greater in MEN (10-fold, 15-fold, and fourfold, respectively) and WomenOC (sevenfold, 11-fold, and ninefold) compared with WomenNM (five-, six-, and threefold; p < 0.05). The decline in leg strength was about 10 % pre- to 24 h post-EiMD in all groups and decreased a further 10-15 % by 48 h post-EiMD in the MEN and WomenOC only.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest an important role of estradiol in blunting the muscle damage response to intense eccentric exercise and preserving muscle function after EiMD.
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