Membrane Transport in Human Skeletal Muscle

Abstract

In exercise physiology biopsies obtained before and after exercise have been used to obtain snapshoots of the muscle content of ions and metabolites. For instance, the changes in muscle glycogen and glucose in association with muscle activity have been quantified. Changes in ion composition, for instance accumulation of lactic acid in muscle, the associated changes in pH, and changes in Na+ and K+ distribution have also been of interest. By repeated biopsies it has been possible to describe the recovery processes after exercise. Such measurements are usually combined with blood analysis of the same ions or metabolites (see exercise experiments below).