The acute effects of androstenedione supplementation in healthy young males.

We examined the effects of androstenedione supplementation on the hormonal profile of 10 males and its interaction with resistance exercise. Baseline testosterone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, and androstenedione concentrations were established by venous sampling at 3 hr intervals over 24 hr. Subjects ingested 200 mg of androstenedione daily for 2 days, with second and third day blood samples. Two weeks later, they ingested androstenedione or a placebo for 2 days, in a double-blind, cross-over design. On day 2, they performed heavy resistance exercise with blood sampled before, after, and 90 min post. The supplement elevated plasma androstenedione 2--3-fold and luteinizing hormone approximately 70% but did not alter testosterone concentration. Exercise elevated testosterone, with no difference between conditions. Exercise in the supplemented condition significantly elevated plasma estradiol by approximately 83% for 90 min. Androstenedione supplementation, thus, is unlikely to provide male athletes with any anabolic benefit and, with heavy resistance exercise, elevates estrogen.

Effect of oral creatine supplementation on muscle [PCr] and short-term maximum power output.

Our purpose was to determine the effect of creatine supplementation on power output during a 30-s maximal cycling (Wingate) test. Nine males underwent 3 randomly ordered tests following ingestion of a creatine supplementation (CRE), placebo (PLA), and control (CON) CRE was ingested as creatine monohydrate (CrH2O) dissolved in a flavored drink (20g.d-1 for 3 d), while PLA consisted of the drink only. Tests were performed 14 d apart on a Monarch ergometer modified for immediate resistance loading. Needle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis at the end of each treatment period and before the exercise test. No difference was found between conditions for peak, mean 10-s, and mean 30-s power output, percent fatigue, or post-exercise blood lactate concentration. Similarly, no difference between conditions was observed for ATP, phosphocreatine (PCr), or total creatine (TCr); however, the TCr/ATP was higher in the CRE condition (P < 0.05) than in the CON and PLA conditions. Findings suggest that 3 d of oral Cr supplementation does not increase resting muscle PCr concentration and has no effect on performance during a single short-term maximal cycling task.

Isomers of glucosaminylphospatiylglycerol in Bacillus megaterium.

1. The lipids of Bacillus megaterium were extracted and three lipids containing glucosamine were identified. One of these is not a phospholipid, but the other two, which differ in their chromatographic behaviour, contain phosphorus, glycerol, fatty acid and d-glucosamine in the molar proportions 1:2:2:1. 2. In both phosphoglycolipids, the fatty acids are bound in ester linkage, and both yield 2,5-anhydromannose and 3-sn-phosphatidyl-1'-sn-glycerol on treatment with sodium nitrite. 3. Both phosphoglycolipids were N-acetylated and, after removal of fatty acids by mild alkaline hydrolysis, in both cases N-acetylglucosamine was quantitatively released by beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase. 4. The glucosaminylglycerols derived from the two phosphoglycolipids by partial acid hydrolysis differ in their behaviour towards periodate. In one case 1 mole of periodate is rapidly consumed/mole of glucosaminylglycerol, but in the other case under identical conditions the consumption of periodate is negligible. 5. The phosphoglycolipids were identified as 1'-(1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoryl)-3'-O-beta-(2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol and as 1'-(1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoryl)-2'-O-beta-(2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol. 6. Both phosphoglycolipids are good substrates for phospholipase A: neither is a substrate for phospholipase C from Clostridium perfringens, and only the 3'-glucosaminide is a substrate for phospholipase D.