The contents of citric acid cycle compounds were measured in rat hind limb muscle in situ during rest, exercise, and recovery from exercise. The following changes in citric acid cycle intermediates were observed during exercise for 15 min. The contents of fumarate and malate increased fourfold over resting values. The contents of citrate, isocitrate, and succinate rose 68 'I<, 48 and 87 "' , respectively, but the increase in these intermediates was delayed relative to the increase in fumarate and malate. The content of 2-oxoglutarate did not change significantly. The content of oxaloacetate increased from less than 1 nmol/g dry weight in resting muscle to 8 nmol/g dry weight during exercise. The orthophosphate content doubled. The sum of the contents of citric acid cycle intermediates doubled. The ratios of the contents of malate/fumarate and citrate/isocitrate remained constant. The constancy of the citrate/isocitrate ratio indicates that the concentration of intracellular free Mg2+ is not affected by exercise. All metabolite levels returned to resting values during recovery. Comparison of these data with the rate of operation of the purine nucleotide cycle leads us to conclude that the increase in citric acid cycle intermediates can be accounted for by the operation of the purine nucleotide cycle.The rate of operation of the purine nucleotide cycle in skeletal muscle increases during exercise and recovery following exercise [l, 21. The cycle catalyzes the net reaction : aspartate + GTP + H20 + NH3 + fumarate + G D P + Pi. We now show that the total level of citric acid cycle intermediates in rat skeletal muscle rises by a factor of two during exercise. The changes in citric acid cycle intermediates are compared with the rate of formation of IMP in the absence and presence of hadacidin, an inhibitor of adenylosuccinate synthetase. On the basis of this comparison it is concluded that the operation of the purine nucleotide cycle is sufficient to account for the observed increases in citric acid cycle intermediates in skeletal muscle. Other possible reactions for replenishing or increasing citric acid cycle intermediates are considered in the Discussion.ions participate in the reactions of the citric acid and the purine nucleotide cycles and they exert direct and indirect effects on adenylate deaminase [3]. Determinations of the contents of these substances in skeletal muscle during rest, exercise, and recovery from exercise are also presented.
Orthophosphate and Mg2
MATERIALS AND METHODSMale rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain were obtained from Charles River Breeding Laboratories (Wilmington, MA). The animals received food and water ad libitum, and weighed 175-200 g at the time of use.Rats were anaesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of sodium pentobarbital (5 mg/100 g body weight) and the skin from the right hind leg was removed. The sciatic nerve was exposed and a Dastre's electrode (Palmer Co., London, UK) was attached around the nerve in its gluteal course. The leg was fixed to a platform at the ankle with ...