Effect of eccentric exercise on plasma enzyme activities previously elevated by eccentric exercise.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether plasma activities of creatine kinase (CK) and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), elevated by eccentric exercise, would be affected by a second bout of eccentric exercise. A group of 26 male students [20.3 (SD 1.9) years] were placed in one of three groups. Group A (n = 8) performed one bout of 24 maximal eccentric actions (ECC) of the forearm flexors (ECC1), and groups B (n = 10) and C (n = 8) performed two bouts of ECC (ECC1, ECC2). The ECC2 was performed by the opposite arm 3 days (group B) or 5 days (group C) after ECC1. None of the subjects had performed this eccentric exercise prior to this study. Maximal isometric force (MIF), range of motion (ROM), upperarm circumference (CIR), muscle soreness level (SOR), and plasma CK and GOT activities were measured before and for 8 days (group B) or 10 days (groups A, C) postexercise. The MIF, ROM, CIR, and SOR changed significantly after exercise (P < 0.01), and no significant differences in changes were found between ECC1 and ECC2, or among the groups. This suggested that ECC1 and ECC2 produced a similar stress to the forearm flexor muscles. Therefore, it was expected that CK and GOT activities would show similar increases after ECC1 and ECC2. However, increases in CK and GOT activities after ECC2 were significantly smaller (P < 0.01) than after ECC1 in both groups B and C. The results of this study confirmed that CK and GOT responses were diminished when initial blood enzyme activities were elevated.