Related Experiment Videos
Coronary and skeletal muscle enzyme changes during a 14 km run
E Agner1, H Kelbaek, N Fogh-Andersen
1Department of Clinical Chemistry, Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Acta Medica Scandinavica
|January 1, 1988
Summary
Physical exercise, including running, elevates serum enzyme levels like aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) and creatinine kinase (CK). These increases, particularly in cardiac markers like CK-MB, do not necessarily indicate cardiac damage after intense physical activity.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Biochemistry
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Elevated coronary enzyme values are a known response to physical exertion.
- Serum enzyme levels, including aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatinine kinase (CK), are often monitored in clinical settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the changes in serum enzyme values, including cardiac markers, in healthy men after a competitive 14 km run.
- To determine if elevated enzyme levels post-exercise suggest cardiac involvement.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples from healthy, non-smoking, physically fit men were analyzed before and immediately after a 14 km run.
- Measurements included ASAT, LDH, LDH isoenzymes, CK, and the myocardial-bound fraction CK-MB.
Main Results:
- All measured enzyme values showed an increase post-run: ASAT by 7%, LDH by 25%, CK by 38%, and CK-MB by 53%.
- LDH isoenzyme analysis revealed significant increases in non-cardiac fractions.
- Absolute increases in cardiac fractions of LDH isoenzymes were observed.
Conclusions:
- Intense physical exercise, such as a 14 km run, leads to significant elevations in serum enzymes, including cardiac markers like CK-MB.
- While non-cardiac fractions of LDH isoenzymes increased, cardiac fractions also showed absolute increments.
- Elevated serum enzyme levels, including cardiac fractions, following strenuous exercise do not definitively exclude a cardiac source but must be interpreted within the context of physical exertion.