The Effect of Gender and Menstrual Phase on Serum Creatine Kinase Activity and Muscle Soreness Following Downhill Running

Abstract

Serum creatine kinase (CK) activity reflects muscle membrane disruption. Oestrogen has antioxidant and membrane stabilising properties, yet no study has compared the CK and muscle soreness (DOMS) response to unaccustomed exercise between genders when all menstrual phases are represented in women. Fifteen eumenorrhoeic women (early follicular, EF (n = 5); late follicular, LF (n = 5); mid-luteal, ML (n = 5) phase) and six men performed 20 min of downhill running (−10% gradient) at 9 km/h. Serum CK activity and visual analogue scale rating of perceived muscle soreness were measured before, immediately, 24-h, 48-h and 72-h after exercise. The 24-h peak CK response (relative to pre-exercise) was similar between women and men (mean change (95% confidence interval): 58.5 (25.2 to 91.7) IU/L; 68.8 (31.3 to 106.3) IU/L, respectively). However, serum CK activity was restored to pre-exercise levels quicker in women (regardless of menstrual phase) than men; after 48-h post exercise in women (16.3 (−4.4 to 37.0) IU/L; 56.3 (37.0 to 75.6) IU/L, respectively) but only after 72-h in men (14.9 (−14.8 to 44.6) IU/L). Parallel to the CK response, muscle soreness recovered by 72-h in men. Conversely, the women still reported muscle soreness at 72-h despite CK levels being restored by 48-h; delayed recovery of muscle soreness appeared mainly in EF and LF. The CK and DOMS response to downhill running is gender-specific. The CK response recovers quicker in women than men. The CK and DOMS response occur in concert in men but not in women. The DOMS response in women is prolonged and may be influenced by menstrual phase.

Chlorella vulgaris Ameliorates Oxidative Stress and Improves the Muscle Regenerative Capacity of Young and Old Sprague-Dawley Rats

“…Creatinine was found to decrease with increasing age, indicating creatine kinase-MM as a useful marker in skeletal muscle injury resulting from the presence of excessive oxidative stress [61]. The CKMM released to the bloodstream indicates the manifestation of both mechanical and metabolic disturbances within the sarcomere, which also reflects the integrity, stability and function of the plasma membrane [62].…”

Leisure physical exercise and creatine kinase activity. The Tromsø study

“…30 Estrogen is reported to exert a protective effect on the muscle cell membrane due to antioxidative properties, 31 but studies on how estrogen interacts with CK are conflicting in the literature. 32,33 Furthermore, the CK responses to exercise vary with ovulatory status in a complex way. 34 Anecdotally, increased CK BEKKELUND normalized during pregnancy but reappeared after delivery in a woman with persistent hyperCKemia.…”

“…This difference is not obviously explained by a relatively more muscle mass fraction in men than women, as CK was unrelated to muscle mass in an exercise study 30 . Estrogen is reported to exert a protective effect on the muscle cell membrane due to antioxidative properties, 31 but studies on how estrogen interacts with CK are conflicting in the literature 32,33 . Furthermore, the CK responses to exercise vary with ovulatory status in a complex way 34 .…”

Behavior of creatine kinase in a variable resistance session

“…At the same time, there is evidence that stress biomarkers such as Cortisol tend to increase more in female than male athletes after a competition11 ) . Furthermore, blood concentrations of creatine kinase (CK) and late muscular pain in females could be influenced by menstrual phases12 ) . These data might be enough to state that, depending on the gender, the use of VR as a training method to increase strength levels may trigger different alterations in BBMD4, 11 ) .…”