Project R-8156

Impact of muscle carnosine loading on exercise capacity and muscle contractile characteristics in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) and Multiple Sclerosis. (Research)

Exercise therapy has become an important part of overall symptom management in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). So far, a multitude of low to high intensity exercise therapy studies have shown consistent improvements in a variety of MS related disabilities such as lost muscle strength and decreased exercise capacity. However, the underlying mechanisms of this overall therapeutic effect of exercise therapy are not clear. Furthermore, effects are lower compared to healthy controls and some other disease populations. This may be due to the fact that a portion of the neuromuscular dysfunction present in MS resides within the affected muscle. Here, impairments in both (I) muscle contraction and (II) muscle energy supply seem to attenuate exercise therapy outcome in MS. Interestingly, the physiological role of carnosine in muscle is related to both (I) muscle contraction and (II) energy supply and muscle carnosine concentrations appear to be reduced in MS. Because muscle carnosine loading (via beta-alanine intake) in other disease populations and healthy peers has been shown to counter this, carnosine treatment could be a valid new approach to improve exercise therapy outcome in MS and investigate the effects of MS on skeletal muscle characteristics. As such, the present project will investigate the impact of muscle carnosine loading on (A) muscle carnosine levels, (B) exercise therapy outcome and (C) muscle contractile characteristics and energy supply in both an animal MS model and in MS.

01 October 2017 - 30 October 2019