ENERGY FOR MUSCLE

CONTRACTION

PRAMUDJI HASTUTI
DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY
FACULTY OF MEDICINE UGM
Muscles
Muscles convert chemical energy ATP mechanical
work.

Three different muscles in vertebrate

•Heart muscle — (cardiac muscle)
contracts 70 x/per minute
pumping about 5 liters of blood/minute.
•Smooth muscle : found in the walls of all the hollow
organs (except the heart).
- arteries/veins, gastrointestinal tract,
- urinary bladder, uterus, lungs
= contraction generally not under voluntary control.

•Skeletal muscle (muscle attached to the skeleton)

•= striated muscle
•contraction of skeletal muscle is voluntary control.
Energy Sources

- Many cellular processes require energy

- Metabolic energy sources : sugars & fats

ATP
- Cleaving one phosphate  liberates 7.3 kcal/mole.

NADH (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide H)

- in oxidative metabolism
- in mitochondrial electron transport chain,
transfer two electrons & hydrogen ion to oxygen,
 liberating 52.6 kcal/mole synthesize 7.2 ATPs?
(but only 3 ATPs formed)
FADH2 (Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide)

- in oxidative metabolism
- releases 43.4 kcal/mole (generate six ATPs)?
- because inefficiency only two ATPs

Creatine Phosphate

- energy storage of muscle cells

- phosphate group transferred to ADP  ATP
- in hydrolysis releases 10.3 kcal/mole.
Muscle Energetics

Energy :
Heat
light
Sound
electrical
mechanical
chemical

Most metabolic processes : chemical energy

- Muscles work require energy

- transformed into mechanical energy  movement
Breakdown ATP ADP AMP
- Release energy for muscle contraction
- AMP recycled ADP  ATP
 three important metabolic systems to supply energy for muscle
contraction:
(1)The phosphagen energy system
(2)the glycogen-lactic acid system
(3)the aerobic system.
The longer and more intense activity the greater need to supply ATP
-ATP in the muscle cells only sufficient for 5 or 6 seconds
- essential synthesize new ATP continuously
- different kinds of athletic events require different
amounts of energy

Require a quick, short, intense "burst" of energy :

- athletic 100-meter dash
- weight lifting
- certain football plays

-Energy from phosphagen system : creatine phosphate

to recycle ADP into ATP

Creatine ~ PO4  Creatine + PO4 + Energy

PO4 + Energy + ADP  ATP
Energy for longer and more intense periods :
- Require glucose : occurs in two steps

1) Anaerobic (glycogen-lactic acid system)

Glucose  pyruvic acid + ATP  lactic acid
providing 30 - 40 seconds of maximal muscle
activity

if lactic acid accumulated in the muscle 

muscle fatigue (cramps).
2) aerobic system :

Pyruvic acid  CO2, H2O + energy (Krebs cycle &

oxidation
- sports that require an extensive energy :
= marathon race
= cross-country skiing

- Lots ATP needed

- small production of lactic acid
- providing essentially unlimited time (as long as
nutrients in the body last)

(oxygen can be stored in muscle fibers as myoglobin)

Fatty acid energy source

Fatty acids from fat stored in adipose cells 

bloodstream muscle cells  oxidized to acetyl-COA
 Krebs cycle, cellular respiration  ATP

1 mol Acetyl-CoA = 12 ATP

 Carbohydrate store last ± 90 minutes

 Free fatty store will last several days.
 Many sports require combination of metabolic systems

Muscle Metabolic Duration of Maximal

Activity Types
Energy Systems Muscle Activity

Phosphagen System 10-15 seconds Power sudden

Glycogen - Lactic acid Intermediate athletic
30-40 seconds more
system activities
Unlimited time (as long Prolonged athletic
Aerobic System
as nutrients last) activities
Advantages anaerobic respiration
= relatively rapid
= it does not require oxygen.

Disadvantages
= only two ATP produced
= lactic acid produced

Advantages aerobic respiration:

= generates a large amount of ATP.

Disadvantages of aerobic respiration

= relatively slow and requires oxygen.
 ENERGY RELATED DURATION

Duration Classification Energy Supplied By

1 to 4 seconds Anaerobic ATP (in muscles)

4 to 10 seconds Anaerobic ATP + CP

ATP + CP + Muscle
10 to 45 seconds Anaerobic
glycogen
45 to 120
Anaerobic, Lactic Muscle glycogen
seconds
120 to 240 Aerobic + Muscle glycogen +
seconds Anaerobic lactic acid
240 to 600 Muscle glycogen +
Aerobic
seconds fatty acids
Thresholds point = energy system is exhausted
Training will improve the thresholds times.
Energy System recruitment
Approximate percentage contribution of the energy pathways in certain sports
(Fox E. L. et al, The Physiological Basis for Exercise and Sport, 1993)

Sport ATP-CP and LA LA-O2 O2

Basketball 60 20 20
Fencing 90 10
Field events 90 10
Golf swing 95 5
Gymnastics 80 15 5
Hockey 50 20 30
Distance running 10 20 70
Rowing 20 30 50
Skiing 33 33 33
Soccer 50 20 30
Sprints 90 10
Swimming 1.5km 10 20 70
Tennis 70 20 10
Volleyball 80 5 15
There are different "kinds" of muscle fibers :
= Type I (slow twitch) fibers
= Type II (fast twitch) fibers

=different muscle fiber types different kinds movement

Type I Fibers

•loaded with mitochondria

•depend on cellular respiration for ATP production

•fatty acids the major energy source

•resistant to fatigue

•rich in myoglobin and hence red in color

•activated by small-diameter, thus slow-conducting, motor neurons

•"slow-twitch" fibers

•dominant in muscles used in activities requiring endurance

(leg muscles) and those that depend on tonus e.g., those
responsible for posture)
Type IIb Fibers
•few mitochondria

•rich in glycogen

•depend on creatine phosphate and glycolysis for ATP production

•fatigue easily with the production of lactic acid

•low in myoglobin hence whitish in color (the white meat)

•activated by large-diameter, thus fast-conducting, motor neurons

•"fast-twitch" fibers

•dominant in muscles used for rapid movement, e.g., those moving

the eyeballs.
Source :

1. Anaerobic and aerobic Energy pathways.mht

2. Anatomy & physiology muscle contraction-
ClifftNotes.mht
3. Energy for muscle contractions.Gambar Google.mht
4. Ep.energetics.htm
5. Muscle physiology- Intracellular energy sources.mht
6. Muscle.mht