AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 267, Issue 5 1209-R1216, Copyright © 1994 by American Physiological Society
Exercise-induced changes in blood composition of racing reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.)
A. R. Poso, M. Nieminen, S. Sankari and T. Soveri
Department of Biochemistry, College of Veterinary Medicine, Helsinki, Finland.
The responses to near-maximal exercise before and after the training and
racing season were examined in reindeer. The reindeer were tested when
pulling a driver at a speed of 11-12 m/s for 600 m. The lactate responses
were higher before than after training. Similarly, the accumulation of uric
acid, a breakdown product of ATP, became attenuated after training. The
serum concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids decreased or did not
change after exercise, although an increase in the glycerol concentration
indicates activation of lipolysis. The concentration of alanine increased
after both tests, and at rest the concentrations of several amino acids,
e.g., glutamine, isoleucine, and tyrosine, were higher and the
concentrations of serum protein and urea were lower during spring than at
the beginning of the training period. It can be concluded that the
carbohydrate metabolism of the reindeer responds to exercise and training
similarly to that in other athletic species, but further studies are needed
to explain the observed changes in lipid and protein metabolites.
