Muscle Physiology Lab | College of Education

The Muscle Physiology Laboratory has a 34-year history in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University. Its overall emphasis is the regulation of metabolism during exercise. Studies are typically interpreted in the context of human physiology and biochemistry. The experimental models are isolated, blood-perfused canine muscle, red blood cells, and humans.

Research

Early in the 20^th century, lactate was believed to be a metabolic dead end waste product that accumulated as a result of a lack of oxygen and caused muscle fatigue and soreness. Now, with work from the Muscle Physiology Lab playing an important role in the transformation, lactate is considered a central player in metabolism, and a means by which metabolism is regulated. Reports on lactate metabolism from this lab have been cited in the context of cancer metabolism. Similar work has been cited by the USA Swimming National Team Performance Support Group in making decisions on lactate clearance tests for elite swimmers.

Another major interest of the lab is exactly how the energy systems make the transition from resting to exercise conditions; the energy expenditure can change by a factor of 100 times at the cellular level! The Muscle Physiology Lab was the first to directly test the role of oxygen in this process; the three most directly relevant papers have each been cited more than 150 times, and this work is highlighted in one of the most widely-used Exercise Physiology textbooks.

L. Bruce Gladden, Ph.D. is the director of the Muscle Physiology Lab. His research interests include:

Lactate Metabolism
O₂ Uptake On-Kinetics/Mitochondrial Metabolism
Exercise Metabolism/Bioenergetics
Biochemistry of Exercise
Control of Blood Flow during Exercise
Exercise Fatigue

An infographic displaying the Evolution-Revolution Anaerobic Threshold Concept

Poole, David C., Harry B. Rossiter, George A. Brooks, L. Bruce Gladden. The anaerobic threshold: 50+ years of controversy. Journal of Physiology 599(3):737-767, 2021.

A graph showing V•O2 on-kinetics in isolated canine muscle in situ during slowed convective O2 delivery.

Goodwin, Matthew L., Andrés Hernández, Nicola Lai, Marco E. Cabrera, L. Bruce Gladden. V•O2 on-kinetics in isolated canine muscle in situ during slowed convective O2 delivery. Journal of Applied Physiology 112(1):9-19, 2012.

An infographic showing Mitochondrial lactate metabolism: history and implications for exercise and disease.

Glancy, Brian, Daniel A. Kane, Andreas N. Kavazis, Matthew L. Goodwin, Wayne T. Willis, L. Bruce Gladden. Mitochondrial lactate metabolism: history and implications for exercise and disease. Journal of Physiology 599(3):863-888, 2021.