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Acetylcarnitine is an essential metabolite for maintaining metabolic flexibility and glucose homeostasis. The in vivo behavior of muscle acetylcarnitine content during exercise has not been shown with magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the behavior of skeletal muscle acetylcarnitine during rest, plantar flexion exercise, and recovery in the human gastrocnemius muscle under aerobic conditions. Ten lean volunteers and nine overweight volunteers participated in the study. A 7 T whole-body MR system with a double-tuned surface coil was used to acquire spectra from the gastrocnemius medialis. An MR-compatible ergometer was used for the plantar flexion exercise. Semi-LASER-localized 1 H MR spectra and slab-localized 31 P MR spectra were acquired simultaneously in one interleaved exercise/recovery session. The time-resolved interleaved 1 H/ 31 P MRS acquisition yielded excellent data quality. A between-group difference in acetylcarnitine metabolism over time was detected. Significantly slower τ PCr recovery , τ PCr on-kinetics , and lower Q max in the overweight group, compared to the lean group was found. Linear relations between τ PCr on-kinetics , τ PCr recovery , VO 2max and acetylcarnitine content were identified. In conclusion, we are the first to show in vivo changes of skeletal muscle acetylcarnitine during acute exercise and immediate exercise recovery with a submaximal aerobic workload using interleaved 1 H/ 31 P MRS at 7 T., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Skeletal muscle plays a central role in the regulation of systemic metabolism during lifespan. With aging, this function is perturbed, initiating multiple chronic diseases. Our knowledge of mechanisms responsible for this decline is limited. Glycerophosphocholine phosphodiesterase 1 (Gpcpd1) is a highly abundant muscle enzyme that hydrolyzes glycerophosphocholine (GPC). The physiological functions of Gpcpd1 remain largely unknown. Here we show, in mice, that the Gpcpd1-GPC metabolic pathway is perturbed in aged muscles. Further, muscle-specific, but not liver- or fat-specific, inactivation of Gpcpd1 resulted in severely impaired glucose metabolism. Western-type diets markedly worsened this condition. Mechanistically, Gpcpd1 muscle deficiency resulted in accumulation of GPC, causing an 'aged-like' transcriptomic signature and impaired insulin signaling in young Gpcpd1-deficient muscles. Finally, we report that the muscle GPC levels are markedly altered in both aged humans and patients with type 2 diabetes, displaying a high positive correlation between GPC levels and chronological age. Our findings reveal that the muscle GPCPD1-GPC metabolic pathway has an important role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and that it is impaired during aging, which may contribute to glucose intolerance in aging., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Background: Previous in vivo proton MR spectroscopy (MRS) studies have demonstrated the possibility of quantifying amide groups of conjugated bile acids (NHCBA), olefinic lipids and cholesterol (OLC), choline-containing phospholipids (CCPLs), taurine and glycine conjugated bile acids (TCBA, GCBA), methylene group of lipids (ML), and methyl groups of bile acids, lipids, and cholesterol (BALC1.0, BALC0.9, and TBAC) in the gallbladder, which may be useful for the study of cholestatic diseases and cholangiopathies. However, these studies were performed at 1.5T and 3T, and higher magnetic fields may offer improved spectral resolution and signal intensity., Purpose: To develop a method for gallbladder MRS at 7T., Study Type: Retrospective, technical development., Population: Ten healthy subjects (five males and five females), two patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) (one male and one female), and one patient with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) (female)., Field Strength/sequence: Free-breathing single-voxel MRS with a modified stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) sequence at 7T., Assessment: Postprocessing was based on the T 2 relaxation of water in the gallbladder and in the liver. Concentrations of biliary components were calculated using water signal. All data were corrected for T 2 relaxation times measured in healthy subjects., Statistical Tests: The range of T 2 relaxation time and concentration per bile component, and the resulting mean and standard deviation, were calculated., Results: The concentrations of gallbladder components in healthy subjects were: NHCBA: 93 ± 66 mM, OLC: 154 ± 124 mM, CCPL: 42 ± 17 mM, TCBA: 48 ± 35 mM, GCBA: 67 ± 32 mM, ML: 740 ± 391 mM, BALC1.0: 175 ± 92 mM, BALC0.9: 260 ± 138 mM, and TBAC: 153 ± 90 mM. Mean concentrations of all bile components were found to be lower in patients., Data Conclusion: This work provides a protocol for designing future MRS investigations of the bile system in vivo., Evidence Level: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 1., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

Objective: Acetylcarnitine plays an important role in fat metabolism and can be detected in proton magnetic resonance spectra in skeletal muscle. An inverse relationship of acetylcarnitine to intramyocellular lipids and metabolic markers of chronic hyperglycemia has been suggested. This study aimed to compare the acetylcarnitine concentrations and intramyocellular lipids measured noninvasively by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H MRS) in the tibialis anterior and the soleus of three different groups of volunteers with a broad range of glycemic control., Methods: Acetylcarnitine and intramyocellular lipid concentrations were measured in 35 individuals stratified into three groups according to glucose tolerance and/or manifestation of type 2 diabetes mellitus. All MRS measurements were performed on a 3-T MR system., Results: The differences in patient phenotype were mirrored by increased intramyocellular lipids in the tibialis anterior and decreased acetylcarnitine concentrations in the soleus muscle of type 2 diabetes patients when compared with normal glucose-tolerant individuals. Results suggest that intramyocellular lipids mirror whole-body glucose tolerance better in the tibialis anterior muscle, whereas acetylcarnitine is a better discriminator in the soleus muscle., Conclusions: This muscle-specific behavior of metabolites could represent different fiber compositions in the examined muscles and should be considered when planning future metabolic studies., (© 2020 The Authors. Obesity published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Obesity Society (TOS).)

Purpose: Aging is associated with changes in muscle energy metabolism. Proton ( 1 H) and phosphorous ( 31 P) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has been successfully applied for non-invasive investigation of skeletal muscle metabolism. The aim of this study was to detect differences in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in the aging muscle by 31 P-MRS and to identify potential changes associated with buffer capacity of muscle carnosine by 1 H-MRS. Methods: Fifteen young and nineteen elderly volunteers were examined. 1 H and 31 P-MRS spectra were acquired at high field (7T). The investigation included carnosine quantification using 1 H-MRS and resting and dynamic 31 P-MRS, both including saturation transfer measurements of phosphocreatine (PCr), and inorganic phosphate (Pi)-to-ATP metabolic fluxes. Results: Elderly volunteers had higher time constant of PCr recovery (τ PCr ) in comparison to the young volunteers. Exercise was connected with significant decrease in PCr-to-ATP flux in both groups. Moreover, PCr-to-ATP flux was significantly higher in young compared to elderly both at rest and during exercise. Similarly, an increment of Pi-to-ATP flux with exercise was found in both groups but the intergroup difference was only observed during exercise. Elderly had lower muscle carnosine concentration and lower postexercise pH. A strong increase in phosphomonoester (PME) concentration was observed with exercise in elderly, and a faster Pi:PCr kinetics was found in young volunteers compared to elderly during the recovery period. Conclusion: Observations of a massive increment of PME concentration together with high Pi-to-ATP flux during exercise in seniors refer to decreased ability of the muscle to meet the metabolic requirements of exercise and thus a limited ability of seniors to effectively support the exercise load., (Copyright © 2020 Krumpolec, Klepochová, Just, Tušek Jelenc, Frollo, Ukropec, Ukropcová, Trattnig, Krššák and Valkovič.)

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) participates in orchestrating the adaptive response to exercise. However, the importance of transient changes in circulating BDNF for eliciting whole-body and skeletal muscle exercise benefits in humans remains relatively unexplored. Here, we investigated effects of acute aerobic exercise and 3-month aerobic-strength training on serum, plasma and skeletal muscle BDNF in twenty-two sedentary older individuals (69.0 ± 8.0 yrs., 9 M/13F). BDNF response to acute exercise was additionally evaluated in young trained individuals (25.1 ± 2.1 yrs., 3 M/5F). Acute aerobic exercise transiently increased serum BDNF in sedentary (16%, p = .007) but not in trained elderly or young individuals. Resting serum or plasma BDNF was not regulated by exercise training in the elderly. However, subtle training-related changes of serum BDNF positively correlated with improvements in walking speed (R = 0.59, p = .005), muscle mass (R = 0.43, p = .04) and cognitive performance (R = 0.41, p = .05) and negatively with changes in body fat (R = -0.43, p = .04) and triglyceridemia (R = -0.53, p = .01). Individuals who increased muscle BDNF protein in response to 3-month training (responders) displayed stronger acute exercise-induced increase in serum BDNF than non-responders (p = .006). In addition, muscle BDNF protein content positively correlated with type II-to-type I muscle fiber ratio (R = 0.587, p = .008) and with the rate of post-exercise muscle ATP re-synthesis (R = 0.703, p = .005). Contrary to serum, acute aerobic exercise resulted in a decline of plasma BDNF 1 h post-exercise in both elderly-trained (-34%, p = .002) and young-trained individuals (-48%, p = .034). Acute circulating BDNF regulation by exercise was dependent on the level of physical fitness and correlated with training-induced improvements in metabolic and cognitive functions. Our observations provide an indirect evidence that distinct exercise-induced changes in serum and plasma BDNF as well as training-related increase in muscle BDNF protein, paralleled by improvements in muscle and whole-body clinical phenotypes, are involved in the coordinated adaptive response to exercise in humans., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The influence of endurance training on skeletal muscle metabolism can currently be studied only by invasive sampling or through a few related parameters that are investigated by either proton ( 1 H) or phosphorus ( 31 P) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The aim of this study was to compare the metabolic differences between endurance-trained triathletes and healthy volunteers using multi-parametric data acquired by both, 31 P- and 1 H-MRS, at ultra-high field (7T) in a single experimental protocol. This study also aimed to determine the interrelations between these MRS-derived metabolic parameters. Methods: Thirteen male triathletes and ten active male volunteers participated in the study. Proton MRS data from the vastus lateralis yielded concentrations of acetylcarnitine, carnosine, and intramyocellular lipids (IMCL). For the measurement of phosphodiesters (PDEs), inorganic phosphate (Pi), phosphocreatine (PCr), and maximal oxidative capacity (Q max ) phosphorus MRS data were acquired at rest, during 6 min of submaximal exercise and following immediate recovery. Results: The triathletes exhibited significantly higher IMCL levels, higher initial rate of PCr resynthesis (V PCr ) during the recovery period, a shorter PCr recovery time constant (τ PCr ), and higher Q max . Multivariate stepwise regression analysis identified PDE as the strongest independent predictor of whole-body maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max ). Conclusion: In conclusion, we cannot suggest a single MRS-based parameter as an exclusive biomarker of muscular fitness and training status. There is, rather, a combination of different parameters, assessable during a single multi-nuclear MRS session that could be useful for further cross-sectional and/or focused interventional studies on skeletal muscle fitness and training effects.