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Oral creatine supplementation facilitates the rehabilitation of disuse atrophy and alters the expression of muscle myogenic factors in humans
Author(s) -
Hespel Peter,
Op't Eijnde Bert,
Leemputte Marc Van,
Ursø Birgitte,
Greenhaff Paul L.,
Labarque Valery,
Dymarkowski Steven,
Hecke Paul Van,
Richter Erik A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7793.2001.0625c.xd
Subject(s) - myod , myogenin , myf5 , creatine , medicine , endocrinology , myogenic regulatory factors , muscle atrophy , rehabilitation , atrophy , muscle biopsy , chemistry , physical therapy , skeletal muscle , biopsy , myogenesis
1 We investigated the effect of oral creatine supplementation during leg immobilization and rehabilitation on muscle volume and function, and on myogenic transcription factor expression in human subjects. 2 A double‐blind trial was performed in young healthy volunteers ( n =22). A cast was used to immobilize the right leg for 2 weeks. Thereafter the subjects participated in a knee‐extension rehabilitation programme (3 sessions week −1 , 10 weeks). Half of the subjects received creatine monohydrate (CR; from 20 g down to 5 g daily), whilst the others ingested placebo (P; maltodextrin). 3 Before and after immobilization, and after 3 and 10 weeks of rehabilitation training, the cross‐sectional area (CSA) of the quadriceps muscle was assessed by NMR imaging. In addition, an isokinetic dynamometer was used to measure maximal knee‐extension power ( W max ), and needle biopsy samples taken from the vastus lateralis muscle were examined to asses expression of the myogenic transcription factors MyoD, myogenin, Myf5, and MRF4, and muscle fibre diameters. 4 Immobilization decreased quadriceps muscle CSA (∼10 %) and W max (∼25 %) by the same magnitude in both groups. During rehabilitation, CSA and W max recovered at a faster rate in CR than in P ( P < 0.05 for both parameters). Immobilization changed myogenic factor protein expression in neither P nor CR. However, after rehabilitation myogenin protein expression was increased in P but not in CR ( P < 0.05 ), whilst MRF4 protein expression was increased in CR but not in P ( P < 0.05 ). In addition, the change in MRF4 expression was correlated with the change in mean muscle fibre diameter ( r =0.73, P < 0.05 ). 5 It is concluded that oral creatine supplementation stimulates muscle hypertrophy during rehabilitative strength training. This effect may be mediated by a creatine‐induced change in MRF4 and myogenin expression.