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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Biochemical Titration of Glycogen In vitro
Published on: November 24, 2013
In vivo imaging of glycogen in human muscle
Chongxue Bie1, Yuxuan Ma1, Peter C M van Zijl2,3
1Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Abstract:
Probing regional glycogen metabolism in humans non-invasively has been challenging due to a lack of sensitive approaches. Here we studied human muscle glycogen dynamics post-exercise with a spatial resolution of millimeters and temporal resolution of minutes, using relayed nuclear Overhauser effect (glycoNOE) MRI. Data at 5T showed a homogeneous distribution of glycogen in resting muscle, with an average concentration of 99 ± 13 mM. After plantar flexion exercise following fasting with recovery under fasting conditions, the calf muscle showed spatially heterogeneous glycogen depletion and repletion kinetics that correlated with the severity of this depletion. Three types of regional glycogen kinetics were observed: (i) single exponential repletion (type a); (ii) biphasic recovery of rapid repletion followed by additional depletion (type b); (iii) biphasic recovery where continued depletion is followed by an exponential recovery (type c). The study of the complex patterns of glycogen kinetics suggests that glycogen breakdown may be quantitatively important during the initial recovery.
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