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J Appl Physiol 88: 722-729, 2000;
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Vol. 88, Issue 2, 722-729, February 2000

Muscle metabolism during heavy-intensity exercise after acute acetazolamide administration

Barry W. Scheuermann1, John M. Kowalchuk1,2, Donald H. Paterson1, Albert W. Taylor1,2, and Howard J. Green3

1 Centre for Activity and Ageing, School of Kinesiology, and 2 Department of Physiology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 3K7; and 3 Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1


    ABSTRACT
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibition is associated with a lower plasma lactate concentration ([La-]pl), but the mechanism for this association is not known. The effect of CA inhibition on muscle high-energy phosphates [ATP and phosphocreatine (PCr)], lactate ([La-]m), and glycogen was examined in seven men [28 ± 3 (SE) yr] during cycling exercise under control (Con) and acute CA inhibition with acetazolamide (Acz; 10 mg/kg body wt iv). Subjects performed 6-min step transitions in work rate from 0 W to a work rate corresponding to ~50% of the difference between the O2 uptake at the ventilatory threshold and peak O2 uptake. Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis at rest, at 30 min postinfusion, at end exercise (EE), and at 5 and 30 min postexercise. Arterialized venous blood was sampled from a dorsal hand vein and analyzed for [La-]pl. ATP was unchanged from rest values; no difference between Con and Acz was observed. The fall in PCr from rest [72 ± 3 and 73 ± 3.6 (SE) mmol/kg dry wt for Con and Acz, respectively] to EE (51 ± 4 and 46 ± 5 mmol/kg dry wt for Con and Acz, respectively) was similar in Con and Acz. At EE, glycogen (mmol glucosyl units/kg dry wt) decreased to similar values in Con and Acz (307 ± 16 and 300 ± 19, respectively). At EE, no difference was observed in [La-]m between conditions (46 ± 6 and 43 ± 5 mmol/kg dry wt for Con and Acz, respectively). EE [La-]pl was higher during Con than during Acz (11.4 ± 1.0 vs. 8.2 ± 0.6 mmol/l). The similar [La-]m but lower [La-]pl suggests that the uptake of La- by other tissues is enhanced after CA inhibition.

muscle lactate; plasma lactate; high-energy phosphates; carbonic anhydrase


    INTRODUCTION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

THE PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE of erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase (CA I and CA II) in the removal of CO2 from the body under resting and exercise conditions has been studied extensively (for review see Ref. 26); however, relatively little is known about the role of CA in muscle metabolism in humans. During exercise, CA inhibition with acetazolamide (Acz) results in a lower plasma lactate (La-) concentration ([La-]pl) during maximal (13, 14) and submaximal exercise (7, 18, 21) compared with the uninhibited condition. Muscle La- content ([La-]m) was not affected by chronic Acz administration during exercise in humans (18); in horses, Acz administration was associated with a lower [La-]m immediately after maximal exercise (20). A confounding factor in these previous studies (18, 20) was that Acz was administered chronically over 3 days and resulted in a metabolic acidosis before the onset of exercise, a condition that has been shown to inhibit muscle glycogenolysis and impair La- efflux from muscle (25). In addition, in the study of Rose et al. (20), muscle glycogen content was significantly reduced before the start of exercise and may have contributed to the lower rate of glycogenolysis and La- production (11) in their study.

Acz administered acutely by infusion is not associated with a significant acidosis before the onset of exercise (13, 21) and offers an opportunity to study the effect of CA inhibition alone, without the confounding effect of acidosis. Using a protocol of acute CA inhibition, we demonstrated that [La-]pl was reduced during moderate- and heavy-intensity, constant-load exercise, independent of the initial plasma acid-base status (21). The effect of Acz-induced CA inhibition on muscle metabolism in the absence of a significant extracellular acidosis, to our knowledge, has not been examined previously. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of acute Acz-induced CA inhibition on specific muscle metabolites and [La-]pl during heavy-intensity, constant-load exercise to determine the mechanism responsible for the lower [La-]pl typically observed after Acz administration. We hypothesized that the lower [La-]pl observed after CA inhibition would be associated with an inhibition of glycogen breakdown and pyruvate (Pyr-) production.


    METHODS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Subjects. Seven healthy men participated in the study. The experimental protocol and all possible risks associated with participation in the study were outlined, and informed consent was obtained from each subject. Approval for this study was granted by The University of Western Ontario Review Board for Health Sciences Research Involving Human Subjects.

General protocol. Each subject underwent preliminary testing for the determination of ventilatory threshold (VET) and peak O2 uptake (VO2 peak) with use of a ramp forcing function (25 W/min) to volitional fatigue on an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer (model H-300-R, Lode). The highest O2 uptake (VO2) averaged over 20-s intervals was taken as VO2 peak. The VET was determined as the VO2 at which the ventilatory equivalent for VO2 (VE/VO2) and end-tidal PO2 (PETO2) increased with no concomitant increase in the ventilatory equivalent for CO2 output (VE/VCO2) or decrease in end-tidal PCO2 (PETCO2). The work rate performed during the constant-load test was estimated to elicit a VO2 that was ~50% of the difference between the VO2 at the VET and VO2 peak: VET + [(VO2 peak - VET) · 0.5]. The square-wave transition, which was 6 min in duration, was followed by 30 min of supine recovery.

Each subject was studied on two separate occasions during control (Con) and after acute Acz administration. It is our experience that the side effects of Acz administration, although they are minor, are noticeable by the subject; therefore, a placebo was not administered. Subjects were instructed to abstain from exercise and beverages containing caffeine for >= 12 h before testing. Subjects were asked not to engage in any heavy-intensity exercise for 3 days before testing but were allowed to follow their normal activity schedule. The exercise tests were performed at the same time of the day for each subject. Exercise tests were separated by 2-3 wk.

On each occasion, subjects rested supine while a percutaneous Teflon catheter (21-gauge Angiocath) was placed into a dorsal hand vein. Blood was arterialized by wrapping the hand and forearm in a heating pad. The Bergström technique (4) was used to prepare subjects for biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle. The skin overlying the biopsy site in each leg was initially prepared using local anesthetic (2% lidocaine). A small incision was made through the skin and underlying fascia of each leg to facilitate rapid sampling during testing. The incisions were covered with sterile gauze, except before muscle samples were obtained.

After 15 min of rest, a blood sample was drawn for baseline measures, then the subject either rested for 30 min (Con studies) or was infused with Acz (10 mg/kg iv over a 3-min period) and then rested for 30 min (Acz studies). Breath-by-breath measurements of gas exchange and ventilation were made during loadless cycling and during the last minute of exercise. Blood samples were obtained during each of the two conditions at rest, at 30 min postinfusion, during loadless cycling, at end-exercise, and at specific times during recovery (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 min).

Muscle samples were obtained at rest, at 30 min postinfusion, immediately after exercise, and at 5 and 30 min of recovery. Muscle samples corresponding to pre- and postinfusion were obtained while the subject rested in the supine position. End-exercise muscle samples were obtained within 5 s of the end of exercise while the subjects remained seated on the cycle ergometer. Subjects were returned to the supine position during recovery. Immediately after the muscle samples were obtained, the biopsy needles were plunged into liquid nitrogen; ~5-7 s elapsed between the time the samples were obtained and the time they were frozen. The tissue was stored at -80°C for later analysis.

Materials and methods. Inspired and expired volumes were measured by a low-resistance, low-dead space (90 ml) bidirectional turbine and volume transducer (model VMM-110, Alpha Technologies). The volume signal was calibrated before each test with a syringe of known volume (990 ml). Respired gases were sampled continuously at the mouth (1 ml/s) by a mass spectrometer (model MGA-1100, Perkin-Elmer) for determination of the fractional concentrations of O2, CO2, and N2. The mass spectrometer was calibrated with precision-analyzed gas mixtures before each test. The analog signals from the mass spectrometer and turbine transducer were sampled every 20 ms and stored on the computer hard disk for later analysis. Breath-by-breath computations for VO2, VCO2, VE, PETO2, and PETCO2 were performed after correction for delays in the sampling capillary and analysis system and for fluctuations in lung gas stores by computer algorithms (3). Corrections for temperature and water vapor were made for conditions measured near the mouth. Heart rate was monitored continuously using an electrocardiograph, with electrodes placed in a modified V5 configuration.

Blood was collected anaerobically into heparinized syringes (lithium heparin), mixed, placed in an ice-water slurry, and analyzed after a short delay (<= 20 min). Whole blood (200 µl) was analyzed (at 37°C) for plasma pH {H+ concentration ([H+])}, PCO2, and [La-]pl with use of selective electrodes (StatProfile 9 Plus Blood Gas-Electrolyte Analyzer, Nova Biomedical Canada). The electrodes were calibrated before each test and at regular intervals during analysis. Plasma HCO-3 concentration ([HCO-3]) was calculated from measured pH and PCO2.

Muscle metabolite concentrations of glycogen ([glycogen]), ATP ([ATP]), PCr ([PCr]), Pi ([Pi]), creatine ([Cr]), [La-], and Pyr- ([Pyr-]) were determined fluorometrically (model 450, Sequoia-Turner) from freeze-dried tissue according to established procedures (10). Muscle metabolites were adjusted to the highest total creatine (TCr = PCr + Cr) in each condition (Con vs. Acz) for each subject to correct for any contamination by blood and connective tissue. There was no significant difference in TCr; the mean correction required was 3.4%, with a range of 0.06-12.8%.

Statistics. Gas exchange, plasma, and muscle data were analyzed using a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with condition (Con vs. Acz) and time as the main effects. When condition was not a factor, data were analyzed using a one-way repeated-measures ANOVA. A significant F ratio was further analyzed using Student-Newman-Keuls post hoc analysis. Statistical significance was accepted at P < 0.05. Values are means ± SE.


    RESULTS
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ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Subjects. The physical characteristics, peak values for the ramp exercise test, and constant-load exercise work rates for each subject are presented in Table 1. Gas exchange data are reported for only five subjects because of technical difficulties with the gas analysis system.

                              
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Table 1.   Physical characteristics, peak values for ramp exercise test, and constant-load exercise work rates for each subject

VO2, VCO2, heart rate, and VE. The effects of CA inhibition with an acute infusion of Acz on gas exchange and VE are presented in Fig. 1. VO2 was not affected by CA inhibition during loadless cycling (904 ± 87 and 865 ± 87 ml/min for Con and Acz, respectively) or at end exercise (3,426 ± 266 and 3,332 ± 334 ml/min for Con and Acz, respectively). Heart rate (not shown) was not affected in Acz studies during loadless cycling or at end exercise. During loadless cycling, VCO2 was similar between Con and Acz (775 ± 58 and 800 ± 72 ml/min, respectively) conditions; end-exercise VCO2 was lower (P < 0.05) during Acz than during Con (3,542 ± 340 vs. 3,812 ± 323 ml/min). CA inhibition resulted in a higher (P < 0.05) VE during loadless cycling (18.7 ± 1.2 and 21.8 ± 1.5 l/min for Con and Acz, respectively) and at end exercise (111.4 ± 13.1 and 127.3 ± 15.3 l/min for Con and Acz, respectively). VE/VO2 and VE/VCO2 were higher (P < 0.05) in Acz than in Con during loadless cycling; this difference was attributed to the higher VE in the Acz studies. End-exercise VE/VO2 and VE/VCO2 were higher during Acz than during Con consequent to the higher VE and lower VCO2 during Acz administration.


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Fig. 1.   Mean ventilatory and gas exchange response for control (solid bars) and acetazolamide (open bars) studies determined during loadless cycling (0 W) and at end exercise (EE). A: O2 uptake (VO2); B: CO2 output (VCO2); C: ventilation (VE); D: end-tidal PO2 (PETO2); E: end-tidal PCO2 (PETCO2); F: PETCO2-arterial PCO2 difference (ET-aPCO2Diff). Gas exchange was not measured at rest; therefore, ET-aPCO2Diff is plotted for end exercise only. a Significantly different from control (P < 0.05).

PETO2 was higher (P < 0.05) during loadless cycling in the Acz than in the Con studies (101 ± 3 vs. 106 ± 2 Torr). End-exercise PETO2 was higher (P < 0.05) during Acz than during Con (116 ± 2 vs. 111 ± 2 Torr). During loadless cycling, PETCO2 was lower (P < 0.05) during Acz than during Con (39 ± 1 vs. 42 ± 2 Torr). Exercise was associated with a fall (P < 0.05) in PETCO2 during Acz but not during Con; the end-exercise PETCO2 during Acz (33 ± 2 Torr) was lower (P < 0.05) than that observed during loadless cycling and lower (P < 0.05) than the end-exercise PETCO2 during Con (40 ± 2 Torr).

Plasma acid-base status and La-. The effects of CA inhibition with an acute infusion of Acz on acid-base status in equilibrated plasma are presented in Fig. 2. Acz was administered acutely (30 min before exercise) to avoid the development of a metabolic acidosis before the onset of exercise. Plasma [H+], determined 30 min postinfusion at rest, was not affected by an acute infusion of Acz (36 ± 1 and 36 ± 1 nmol/l for Con and Acz, respectively; Fig. 2A). End-exercise plasma [H+] increased (P < 0.05) above rest values with no difference between conditions. Plasma [H+] returned to rest values by 20 and 30 min of recovery in Con and Acz, respectively. Resting plasma [HCO-3] was not affected by Acz infusion (Fig. 2B). Plasma [HCO-3] decreased (P < 0.05) below rest values during exercise in Con and Acz; end-exercise plasma [HCO-3] was higher (P < 0.05) in Acz than in Con (21 ± 1 vs. 19 ± 1 mmol/l). Plasma [HCO-3] remained below rest values throughout recovery with no differences between conditions. Resting arterial PCO2 (PaCO2) was similar in Con and Acz (Fig. 2C). PaCO2 decreased (P < 0.05) below rest levels during exercise in Con, but not until 5 min of recovery in Acz. PaCO2 returned to preinfusion rest values by 30 min of recovery in Acz but remained below rest values throughout recovery in Con.


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Fig. 2.   Mean plasma H+ concentration ([H+], A), HCO-3 concentration ([HCO-3], B), arterial PCO2 (PaCO2, C), and lactate concentration ([La-], D) determined at rest before infusion (Pre), at 30 min postinfusion (Pos), at end exercise (EE), and at specified times during recovery in control (solid bars) and after acetazolamide (open bars) administration. a Significantly different from control (P < 0.05).

Resting [La-]pl was similar in Con and Acz (Fig. 2D). [La-]pl increased (P < 0.05) during exercise in both conditions but was lower (P < 0.05) in Acz than in Con (8.2 ± 0.6 vs. 11.4 ± 1.0 mmol/l) at end exercise. [La-]pl remained lower (P < 0.05) in Acz than in Con at 5 min of recovery but was similar between conditions for the remainder of recovery; [La-]pl remained elevated (P < 0.05) above rest values throughout recovery.

Muscle metabolites. The effects of CA inhibition with an acute infusion of Acz on muscle metabolites during exercise and recovery are presented in Fig. 3. Muscle [ATP] was not affected by CA inhibition and remained unchanged from rest values during exercise and recovery (Fig. 3A). Muscle [PCr] decreased (P < 0.05) during exercise, reaching similar values in Con and Acz (51 ± 4 and 46 ± 5 mmol/kg dry wt, respectively; Fig. 3B). The increase (P < 0.05) in muscle [Cr] immediately postexercise was similar between Con and Acz (63 ± 2 and 69 ± 4 mmol/kg dry wt, respectively) and was of similar magnitude to the decrease in [PCr] (Fig. 3C). Muscle [Pi] increased (P < 0.05) with exercise in Con and Acz (51 ± 3 and 49 ± 4 mmol/kg dry wt, respectively), with no difference between conditions. Muscle [PCr], [Cr], and [Pi] returned to rest values by 5 min of recovery.


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Fig. 3.   Mean muscle ATP concentration (A), phosphocreatine (PCr) concentration (B), creatine (Cr) concentration (C), Pi concentration (D), glycogen concentration (E), [La-] (F), and pyruate (Pyr-) concentration (G) in response to heavy-intensity constant-load exercise during control (solid bars) and acetazolamide (open bars) studies. Measurements were made before infusion (Pre), at 30 min postinfusion (Pos), at end exercise (EE), and at specified times during recovery. Metabolite concentrations are corrected to highest total creatine concentration for each subject and condition (i.e., control vs. acetazolamide).

Resting muscle [glycogen] was not affected by Acz infusion. The decrease (P < 0.05) in muscle [glycogen] during exercise was similar in Con and Acz (307 ± 16 and 300 ± 19 mmol glucosyl units/kg dry wt, respectively); muscle [glycogen] remained below rest levels throughout recovery (Fig. 3E). [La-]m increased (P < 0.05) during exercise and reached similar end-exercise values (46 ± 6 and 43 ± 5 mmol/kg dry wt in Con and Acz, respectively); [La-]m remained elevated above rest levels throughout recovery (Fig. 3F). Although it was not significant, [La-]m/[La-]pl (mmol · kg dry wt-1 · mmol-1 · l-1) at end exercise tended to be higher (P = 0.075) in Acz than in Con (5.2 ± 0.3 vs. 4.1 ± 0.5; Fig. 4A). Muscle [Pyr-] increased (P < 0.05) during exercise to similar end-exercise values (0.565 ± 0.074 and 0.490 ± 0.083 mmol/kg dry wt in Con and Acz, respectively) and returned to rest levels during recovery (Fig. 3G).


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Fig. 4.   Muscle-to-plasma [La-] ratio ([La-]m/[La-]pl) during control (solid bars) and after acetazolamide (open bars) administration determined before infusion (Pre), at 30 min after acetazolamide administration (Pos), at end exercise (EE), and at specified times during recovery. [La-]m/[La-]pl was calculated using measured [La-]m (A) and calculated [La-]m (B). See DISCUSSION for details on assumptions involved in calculation.


    DISCUSSION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

This study examined the effect of acute CA inhibition with Acz on muscle metabolism during heavy-intensity, constant-load exercise. The lower end-exercise [La-]pl observed at a similar power output in Acz than in Con in the present study is consistent with previous studies (12, 13, 21). However, this is the first report describing muscle metabolic responses after acute Acz-induced CA inhibition and indicates, contrary to our hypothesis, that muscle glycogen breakdown and intramuscular La- accumulation were not affected by Acz. These findings suggest that the lower [La-]pl observed during exercise after Acz administration is not a result of an inhibition of glycogenolysis and decreased muscle La- production. These data, in combination with previous findings demonstrating that VO2 kinetics (and presumably pyruvate oxidation) at the onset of moderate- and heavy-intensity constant-load exercise were similar in Acz and Con (21), suggest that the lower [La-]pl is due to an enhanced removal of La- by other tissues, including erythrocytes, heart, liver, and moderately active and inactive skeletal muscle.

To determine the effect of CA inhibition independent of the effects of the metabolic acidosis that typically develops with prolonged Acz administration (14, 27), exercise was initiated 30 min after an intravenous infusion of Acz. Plasma [H+], measured at equilibrium, was not altered by CA inhibition during the 30-min accommodation period, exercise, or recovery. CA activity was not measured in the present study. However, it has been demonstrated previously that erythrocyte CA isozymes (CA I and CA II) are inhibited (>99.0%) at >= 5 mg/kg (~20 µmol/kg) of Acz (28). The dose of Acz used in the present study was 10 mg/kg body wt (~45 µmol/kg; ~2.81 × 10-4 mol/l for an 80-kg subject) administered intravenously 30 min before the onset of exercise. Available information indicates that the half time for Acz uptake by erythrocytes and skeletal muscle is 30-60 min at 10-4-10-6 mmol/l (8), and the plasma half-life for Acz is ~100 min (17). Thus the plasma concentrations of Acz should be sufficiently high during the duration of data collection to inhibit at least the erythrocyte isozymes.

Physiologically, the end-exercise VCO2 after Acz was lower and the PETCO2-PaCO2 gradient was negative and opposite to that found in Con, implying that CO2 equilibration between blood and alveolar gas was not achieved during transit through the pulmonary capillaries. These effects may be related to the inhibition of lung CA, which has been localized in the cytosolic space of lung epithelial (CA II) and endothelial cells (CA I and CA II), as well as in association with the intravascular surface of the endothelial cells (CA IV) (15, 16). However, the inhibition of CA associated with muscle on the ability to eliminate CO2 has not been established. CA is present in at least three forms in human skeletal muscle: a sulfonamide-resistant cytosolic isozyme (CA III) found primarily in slow-twitch oxidative fibers, a sulfonamide-sensitive cytosolic isozyme (CA II) found in fast-twitch oxidative fibers, and a membrane-bound sulfonamide-sensitive isozyme (CA IV) found on the sarcolemma and sarcoplasmic reticulum (24). Recently, the presence of a membrane-bound CA IV has been identified in the intravascular space of muscle capillaries in humans (22). The physiological responses suggest that the acute infusion of Acz functionally inhibited the erythrocyte CA isozymes and, presumably, the sarcolemmal and endothelial CA isozymes, if it is assumed that equilibrium is reached between the interstitial fluid and the plasma Acz concentration. However, because Acz is relatively membrane impermeable (8) and the cytosolic CA III is relatively insensitive to sulfonamides, it is doubtful that the intracellular CA III isozyme was inhibited within the 70-min period over which data were collected in this study.

Acz administration did not affect glycogen utilization or the accumulation of muscle La- or Pyr- over the duration of exercise examined in this study. This finding is in contrast to that of Rose et al. (20), who reported that, in horses exercising maximally, muscle glycogen depletion and muscle La- accumulation were depressed after Acz administration. In that study the higher dose of Acz (i.e., 30 mg/kg) and/or the chronic administration of Acz, resulting in a lower muscle pH at rest and greater CO2 retention during exercise, led to a greater fall in muscle pH, which may have acted to inhibit glycolysis. NH4Cl-induced metabolic acidosis has been shown to inhibit glycolysis and result in lower muscle and plasma La- (25), suggesting that this effect is not specific to CA inhibition. In addition, the muscle glycogen content before the start of exercise was reduced by ~30% in the Acz studies (20) and may also have contributed to the lower rate of glycogenolysis and La- accumulation (11). A depression of muscle glycogenolysis was not observed after Acz treatment in the present study, possibly because muscle pH was not affected by Acz or glycolytic flux was maintained, despite a fall in muscle pH, subsequent to allosteric modification of enzyme activity (6). Interestingly, chronic, compared with acute, Acz administration in humans results in a further reduction in [La-]pl (13, 14), which may be consequent to impaired glycolysis caused by the induced metabolic acidosis, although this has not been established.

[La-]pl reflects a balance between La- efflux from the exercising muscle and the uptake of La- by other tissues, including erythrocytes, heart, liver, and moderately active and inactive skeletal muscle. Although it has not been determined in the present study, a greater uptake of La- from the plasma by inactive muscles may have contributed to the lower [La-]pl found with Acz administration. However, the Acz dose and protocol used in this study were similar to those used by Kowalchuk et al. (13), who demonstrated a lower arterial [La-] and arterial-venous [La-] difference in Acz but fractional removal of La- across an inactive forearm similar to Con, suggesting that La- uptake was related to the arterial [La-]. These data would suggest that La- uptake by other tissues would be attenuated during the Acz treatment. Although La- uptake by the inactive muscle was determined by the arterial-venous La- difference, blood flow was not determined in that study (13). The importance of blood flow in the uptake of La- by inactive muscles has recently been demonstrated by Bangsbo et al. (1). They reported that La- uptake by inactive muscle was higher with increasing blood flows, despite a similar arterial-venous La- difference between conditions. The effect of Acz on muscle blood flow during exercise is not known. Although end-exercise PETCO2 was lower in Acz, the equilibrated PaCO2 tended to be higher in Acz, although these differences were not significant (Fig. 2C). Thus, as a consequence of the disequilibrium that exists in the CO2 system after CA inhibition, it is possible that a higher PaCO2 existed in the peripheral vasculature, resulting in greater vasodilation.

The removal of La- by the erythrocytes may have been enhanced after Acz administration, thereby contributing to the lower [La-]pl but similar [La-]m observed during Acz. The movement of La- across the erythrocyte membrane occurs via 1) the nonionic diffusion of undissociated lactic acid, 2) an anionic exchange involving the band 3 system, or 3) cotransport with an H+ via a specific monocarboxylate transporter (for review see Refs. 9 and 19). Whether Acz administration affects these transport mechanisms or the extent to which they may affect the movement of La- across cell membranes is not known and deserves further attention. However, in vivo examination of these transport mechanisms after CA inhibition is complicated by the disequilibrium that exists in the CO2 system as blood moves through the circulatory system, and, therefore, determining the intra- and extracellular pH gradients that affect La- movement across cell membranes would be difficult during whole body exercise.

The [La-]m/[La-]pl (mmol · kg-1 · mmol-1 · l-1) was not significantly different between Acz and Con conditions at end exercise (Fig. 4A). [La-]m/[La-]pl (Fig. 4B) was also calculated assuming that 1) intracellular water content in resting muscle was 290 ml intracellular water/100 g tissue dry wt (23) and 2) CA inhibition did not affect the distribution of water between body compartments. Although chronic Acz administration is associated with a significant redistribution of water between tissue compartments (as determined by an increase in hematocrit, a decrease in extracellular water content, and an increase in intracellular water content) (5), we did not observe any difference in hematocrit between conditions before the start of exercise (data not presented), suggesting that a significant redistribution of water between compartments had not occurred as a consequence of the acute Acz administration protocol. The similar [La-]m/[La-]pl supports the hypothesis that La- uptake from the muscle was enhanced by other tissues after Acz administration.

Inhibition of CA with an acute infusion of Acz did not affect VO2 during loadless cycling or at end exercise. Recent results from our laboratory (21) have demonstrated that end-exercise VO2 and the kinetics of VO2 to and from a step increase to moderate- and heavy-intensity constant-load exercise were not different, despite a lower [La-]pl during acute Acz administration. Because oxidative phosphorylation does not meet the total energy requirements during the transition to a higher exercise intensity (i.e., O2 deficit), the breakdown of PCr and increase in anaerobic glycolysis must provide the balance of energy necessary for maintaining ATP turnover. Although the similar VO2 kinetics in Con and Acz suggested that the kinetics of PCr breakdown (2) and muscle La- production would also be similar, the contributions of these energy pathways to the energy demands were not determined (21). In the present study the fall in muscle [PCr] and the increase in [Pi] and [Cr] during exercise were similar in Con and Acz. During recovery, muscle [PCr], [Pi], and [Cr] returned to rest values by 5 min of recovery with no difference between conditions. In addition, changes in [La-]m and [Pyr-] during exercise and recovery were similar between conditions. To our knowledge PCr and Pi kinetics during the on- or off-transients of exercise have not been determined during Acz administration, but it is expected that the kinetics would not be affected by Acz administration given the similarity of VO2 kinetics during the on- and off-transients of exercise found previously (21). Thus it would appear, on the basis of comparable metabolic changes between Acz and Con during the transition to and from exercise and in steady-state exercise that were observed in this and other studies (21), that muscle energetics associated with the on- and off-transition to and from heavy-intensity constant-load exercise were not affected by acute CA inhibition.

In summary, this study examined the effect of acute CA inhibition with a single infusion of Acz on muscle metabolism and plasma acid-base changes during heavy-intensity constant-load exercise and recovery. Acz administration was associated with similar muscle glycogen breakdown and muscle La- accumulation and a lower [La-]pl immediately after exercise and in recovery. The removal of La- from the plasma by other tissues during exercise may be enhanced after CA inhibition, thereby contributing to the lower [La-]pl in the Acz treatment.


    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank the participants who took part in the study. The technical support of Brad Hansen is greatly appreciated. The authors are greatly indebted to Margaret Ball-Burnett and Susan Grant (University of Waterloo) for use of their biopsy needles and their assistance in the analysis of muscle tissue.


    FOOTNOTES

Financial support was provided by an operating grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. B. W. Scheuermann was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Graduate Scholarship.

This research was carried out at The Centre for Activity and Ageing (affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Kinesiology, and the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Western Ontario and The Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph's Health Centre).

The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact.

Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: J. M. Kowalchuk, School of Kinesiology, Thames Hall, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada N6A 3K7 (E-mail: jkowalch{at}julian.uwo.ca).

Received 19 June 1998; accepted in final form 14 October 1999.


    REFERENCES
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

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