Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), a cannabimimetic compound and lipid messenger, on recovery from muscle damaging exercise. Twenty-eight healthy young male participants attended the laboratory four times on subsequent days. In the first visit, baseline characteristics were recorded before participants were randomized to consume either liquid PEA (167.5 mg Levagen+ with 832.5 mg maltodextrin) or a matched placebo (1 g maltodextrin) drink. Leg press exercise consisted of four sets at 80% of one repetition maximum followed by a performance set. Muscle soreness, thigh circumference, blood lactate concentration, biomarkers of muscle damage and inflammation, and transcription factor pathways were measured pre- and immediately post-exercise and again at 1, 2, 3, 24, 48, and 72 h post-exercise. The leg press exercise increased (p < 0.05) blood lactate concentration and induced muscle damage as evidenced by increased muscle soreness, thigh circumference, biomarkers of muscle damage, and concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α. PEA reduced (p < 0.05) myoglobin and blood lactate concentrations and increased protein kinase B phosphorylation following exercise. Taken together, these results indicate PEA supplementation may aid in muscle recovery from repeat bouts of exercise performed within a short duration by reducing myoglobin and lactate concentration.
Highlights
Exercise-induced muscle damage is a phenomenon caused by unaccustomed exercise that is characterized by transient ultrastructural myofibrillar disruption [1,2]
There were no main effects of time or treatment for: cAMP response element-binding protein, extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2, c-Jun N-terminal kinases, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases, ribosomal protein S6 kinase beta-1, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and 5 (Table 2), demonstrating that these phosphoprotein signaling pathways were not induced by the exercise. This is the first study to examine the effects of PEA supplementation on recovery from muscle damaging exercise
In contrast to our hypothesis, we observed that PEA supplementation immediately before and after exercise did not reduce pain and localized swelling through a reduction in pro-inflammatory intramuscular enzymes and cytokines; there was a significant reduction in blood lactate and myoglobin concentrations following PEA supplementation
Summary
Exercise-induced muscle damage is a phenomenon caused by unaccustomed exercise that is characterized by transient ultrastructural myofibrillar disruption [1,2]. Exercise-induced muscle damage stimulates various cell types within skeletal muscle to initiate subsequent tissue repair and remodeling including satellite, inflammatory, vascular, and stromal cells that interact with each other within the extracellular matrix [1,2]. Successful recovery would enable an individual to return to training and competition quicker, and possibly allow for higher exercise intensity to be performed [4]. There is evidence to suggest that long-term use of such drugs may impair the skeletal muscle adaptive response to exercise and there are several reported side effects including stomach issues [5]. There is a direct need for sustainable, long-term, treatments with fewer potential side effects for the prevention and management of exercise-induced muscle damage [6]
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