Effects of alcohol on skeletal muscle contractile performance in male and female mice

Background Acute and chronic alcohol use can cause skeletal muscle myopathy in concert with impairments in skeletal muscle strength, function and fatigue resistance. However, the fundamental contractile deficits induced in the presence of alcohol versus those observed in the recovery period following the clearance of alcohol have not yet been characterized nor is it known whether sex influences these outcomes. Methods Male and female mice received an intraperitoneal injection of either saline (Control) or ethanol (EtOH; 5g/kg body weight). Muscle force, fatigue, fatigue recovery and twitch characteristics of the posterior crural muscle complex were measured in situ 1 hour and 24 hours post alcohol. Results In the presence of alcohol (1-hour post treatment) absolute and normalized force generated at 80-150 Hertz was decreased in male and female mice with concurrent reductions in the rate of force development and increases in 1/2 relaxation time. When expressed as a percentage of maximum force, both males and females also displayed an alcohol-induced leftward shift in the force frequency curve indicative of a type I contractile phenotype. Alcohol enhanced fatigue in both males and females but had no effect on force recovery. Following clearance of alcohol (24-hour post treatment), contractile function was completely restored in females while alcohol treated males experienced sustained reductions in absolute force and had enhanced fatigue compared with male controls. Conclusions In the presence of alcohol, both males and females exhibited significant declines in muscle force production and enhanced fatigue; however, following complete clearance of the alcohol, females recovered all functional parameters, while males did not.