Histidine and carnosine reduce muscle fatigue in Xenopus laevis

Abstract

The inclusion of either histidine or carnosine in a frog Ringer’s perfusate at a concentration of 20 mmol/dm³ reduced fatigue in the gastrocnemius muscle ofXenopus laevis significantly. Histidine was superior to carnosine in this respect. The evidence also suggests that muscles perfused with histidine exhibit superior recovery, accumulate less lactic acid and lose significantly less K⁺ from the intracellular fluid. The implications of these findings in future research on capture myopathy are discussed.