Noninvasive measurement of phosphocreatine recovery kinetics in single human muscles

The rate at which phosphocreatine (PCr) is resynthesized after exercise is related to muscle oxidative capacity (Vmax). With the use of a one-dimensional image-guided, localized nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy technique, PCr kinetics were monitored in the medial gastrocnemius of eight healthy subjects after voluntary, short duration, maximal rate exercise. Localized spectra were obtained every 6 s with <5% contamination from nonselected regions. Maximal rate exercise elicited near-maximal to maximal muscle activation, as indicated by the high-PCr hydrolysis rate (2.26 +/- 0.07 mM/s) and extensive PCr depletion. At the end of 9 s of maximal rate exercise, PCr was depleted by 61.4 +/- 2.4% and intracellular pH was 7.04 +/- 0.03. After 9 s of maximal rate exercise, PCr recovered with a rate constant (kPCr) of 1.87 +/- 0.15 min(-1) and a Vmax of 67.2 +/- 6.0 mM/min. Independent of prior activity, aerobic ATP synthesis rates reached 48.6 +/- 4.9 mM/min within 9 s. Extending maximal rate exercise to 30 s resulted in 92.0 +/- 1.2% PCr depletion and an intracellular pH of 6.45 +/- 0.07. The intracellular acidosis separated the direct relationship between kPCr and muscle Vmax but did not affect the initial PCr resynthesis rate.