Scientific Research
The Effects of Effervescent Creatine on
Contractile Forces of Isolated Muscle Fibers
By
Thomas Incledon, MS, RD,
CSCS
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The use of creatine supplementation as an ergogenic agent is very popular among both competitive and non-competitive athletes. The potential use of creatine to improve functional performance for those suffering from various diseases has received very little attention when compared to the amount of research done on physical performance in athletic populations. Recent advances in molecular biology have allowed for the development of transgenic models for studying diseases such as muscular dystrophy and obesity. Because of these advances, research can now study the effects of creatine supplementation on diseases where impaired bioenergetics may be involved.Purpose: The purpose of this pilot work was to develop a model for studying the effects of creatine and to collect preliminary baseline data that would warrant the need for future research in this area.Methods: Isolated muscle fibers from the murine extensor digitorum longus (EDL) were tested in the Langendorff preparation. In such a preparation, muscle fibers are mounted between two tweezers attached to micro-force transducers. The myofibers are covered by a cuvette and solutions of various concentrations are pumped into the chamber, thus bathing the fibers. This preparation allows various concentrations of the agent to be tested to determine the appropriate concentration necessary to induce the desired response. The fibers were electrically stimulated at various frequencies to contract while the length was fixed (isometric contractions). This process was repeated until the fibers had been fatigued to a point where they could no longer generate force. At this point, a previously mixed solution of 10 mg effervescent creatine (EFF-Cr) (Creatine Edge Effervescent TM, FSI Nutrition, Omaha, NE.) and distilled water was used to bathe the muscle preparation. The concentration was calculated to mimic the concentration of creatine in the blood of the person post-ingestion of a packet serving of EFF-Cr.Results: There was an immediate increase in contractile force of approximately 25% compared to no change in the fibers bathed without EFF-Cr. The forces were sustained as long as creatine was available in the medium bathing fibers.Conclusion: This preliminary experiment established that creatine is worth pursuing for clinical research. This type of experiment makes use of muscle research testing equipment that is expensive and very rare. Generally, research is limited to molecular mechanisms of disease and molecular mechanisms of muscle contraction. This pilot work justifies that this equipment can also be used to study the effects of various agents like creatine on mechanical properties and bioenergetics in intact muscle cells.
