Effect of Alcohol and Electrical Stimulation on Leakage of Creatine Kinase from Isolated Fast and Slow Muscles of Rat

Abstract

Binge drinking of alcohol may lead to acute alcoholic myopathy with rhabdomyolysis, which is characterized by skeletal muscle damage, elevated serum creatine kinase (CK), and myoglobinuria. This study was undertaken to test whether alcohol acts directly on the skeletal muscles to enhance the leakage of CK, and to assess the influence of fiber-type composition and repetitive contractions of the muscle on the effect of alcohol. After 4 hr of incubation in normal physiological solution at 37 degrees C, mean leakage of CK was 0.7 units/mg from isolated rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL), which has more fast-twitch glycolytic muscle fibers, and 1.2 units/mg from the soleus, which has more slow-twitch oxidative muscle fibers. Ethanol at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5% concentrations caused significantly greater increase in leakage of CK from soleus than from EDL. In normal physiological solution, electrical stimulation at 1 Hz for 4 hr increased the leakage of CK by about the same degree in both EDL and soleus. In the presence of 0.1 and 0.2% ethanol, electrical stimulation markedly potentiated the alcohol-induced leakage of CK from both soleus and EDL. These results indicate that alcohol increases the leakage of CK by acting directly on skeletal muscle fibers, especially of the slow-twitch oxidative type, and that repeated muscle contractions potentiate the alcohol effect. These studies suggest that exercise may increase the chances of rhabdomyolysis in the alcoholics.

Ethanol Decreases Zinc Transfer to the Fetus in Normal but Not Metallothionein‐Null Mice

“…Our results from the experiment in which mice were prelabeled with 65 Zn, 3 days before ethanol challenge, indicate that ethanol causes Zn loss primarily from the muscle and skin. Direct effects of ethanol on skeletal muscle have been described (see Amaladevi et al, 1995), which include the release of creatine kinase, so it might be expected that Zn release also may occur in this setting. Indeed, chronic ethanol exposure has been shown to reduce muscle Zn concentrations in rats (Gonzalez-Reimers et al, 1993).…”

Alcohol, Athletic Performance and Recovery

“…Indeed, in rodents a supraphysiological dose of alcohol markedly increased plasma CK. Furthermore, in both electrically stimulated rodent muscles [15] and in human subjected to eccentric loading this not evident [13,16,17,18]. Thus clear mechanisms remain elusive, with a need for supporting clinical data.…”

Motor performance during and following acute alcohol intoxication in healthy non-alcoholic subjects

“…The combined eVect of alcohol and exercise has been studied applying electrical stimulation to rat muscles incubated in alcohol (0.1-0.5%), and a dose-and time dependent augmenting eVect of exercise on alcohol-induced leakage of CK was observed (Amaladevi et al 1995).…”