Disruption of muscle energy metabolism due to intense ischaemic exercise: a 31P NMR study in rats

This study uses 31P NMR as a tool for the study of the capacity of recovery of the rat skeletal muscle after an exercise performed during an acute state of ischaemia. The leg muscle of a rat submitted to a 20 minute exercise period one hour after irreversible femoral artery ligation, manifested a dramatic (75%) decrease in phosphocreatine (PC) content, a less pronounced (30%) decrease in ATP, an accumulation of inorganic phosphate (Pi) and an increase in the phosphomonoester (PME) resonances, in addition to acidosis to pH 6.4. An investigation over a 40 minute post-exercise period using 31P NMR and biochemical analysis led to the following observations: 1. The PC and Pi contents of the muscle experienced no further significant changes, remaining at the level reached by the end of the exercise. 2. The ATP content similarly remained at the level reached at the end of this period, the adenylate charge being 0.91 (controls 0.93). 3. The IMP accumulated during ischaemic exercise remained at its high level. It seems likely that this compound contributes in a large part to the resonances in the PME region of the spectra. 4. Intracellular acidosis persisted despite a decrease in lactate content. The most important finding from this study is that the situation created by ischaemic exercise--as revealed by the NMR spectra--is characterized by a blocking of the main biochemical processes (phosphorylations, purine nucleotide cycle, pH regulation). Such a condition, which does not seem to entail lethal cell injury, could thus be used as a basis for the study via 31P NMR of the therapeutic effect of various treatments.