Emerging Roles of ROS/RNS in Muscle Function and Fatigue

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) are involved in numerous aspects of cellular signaling. Classically ROS/RNS have been associated with cellular dysfunction and disease, but it is now clear that they are also of integral importance under normal conditions. In this review, we discuss ROS/RNS effects in skeletal muscle, with special focus on changes in contractile function. The review deals with the tentative roles of ROS/RNS for acute changes that can occur during strenuous exercise resulting in muscle fatigue, for the recovery from fatigue, and for the effects of training/overtraining. We also discuss two groups of inherited diseases; muscle dystrophies, where recent data suggest that ROS/RNS may be of unexpectedly large importance, and mitochondrial myopathies, where the role of ROS seems more limited than originally thought.