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Effects of ammonium chloride ingestion on phosphocreatine metabolism during moderate- and heavy-intensity plantar-flexion exercise

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Abstract

This study examined the effects of NH4Cl ingestion on phosphocreatine (PCr) metabolism during 9 min of moderate- (MOD) and heavy- (HVY) intensity constant-load isotonic plantar-flexion exercise. Healthy young adult male subjects (n = 8) completed both a control (CON) and NH4Cl ingestion (ACID) trial. Phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to monitor changes in intracellular pH (pHi), [Pi], [PCr], and [ATP]. During the Middle (3–6 min) and Late (6–9 min) stages of HVY, ACID was associated with a higher (P < 0.05) intracellular hydrogen-ion concentration ([H+]i) [Middle: 246 (SD 36) vs. 202 (SD 36) mmol/l]; [Late: 236 (SD 35) vs. 200 (SD 39) mmol/l]. In addition, ACID was associated with a lower (P < 0.05) [PCr] relative to CON during the Early (0–3 min) [18.1 (SD 5.1) vs. 20.4 (SD 5.4) mmol/l] and Middle stages [14.1 (SD 5.4) vs. 16.7 (SD 6.0) mmol/l] of HVY. The amplitude of the primary component of PCr breakdown during the transition to HVY was greater in ACID than CON [14.5 (SD 5.8 vs. 11.3 (SD 4.8) mmol/l], however, the PCr slow component (continued slow decline in [PCr]) showed no difference (P > 0.05). The time constant for PCr breakdown (τPCr) was greater in HVY than MOD for both conditions [58 (SD 22) vs. 28 (SD 15) s ACID; 51 (SD 20) vs. 29 (SD 14) s CON] (P < 0.05). In summary, ACID increased PCr breakdown during the transition from MOD to HVY, but did not increase the magnitude of the PCr slow component.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. R. T. Thompson in the Imaging Division of the Lawson Health Research Institute for his technical assistance and for providing time on the 3T. We thank the study participants for their compliance with the protocol.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Kinesiology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada

    Tyler A. Churchward-Venne, John M. Kowalchuk & Greg D. Marsh

  2. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada

    John M. Kowalchuk

  3. Department of Medical Biophysics, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada

    Greg D. Marsh

  4. Imaging Division, The Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph’s Health Care, London, ON, N6A 4V2, Canada

    Greg D. Marsh

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  1. Tyler A. Churchward-Venne
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  2. John M. Kowalchuk
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Correspondence to Greg D. Marsh.

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Communicated by Susan Ward.

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Churchward-Venne, T.A., Kowalchuk, J.M. & Marsh, G.D. Effects of ammonium chloride ingestion on phosphocreatine metabolism during moderate- and heavy-intensity plantar-flexion exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 108, 1189–1200 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-009-1327-8

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