The effects of short term citrulline malate supplementation on oxidative stress and muscle damage in trained soccer players

There is some evidence that citrulline malate (CM) limits the deleterious effect of oxidative stress in athletes, but its effect on team sports like soccer is not clear. Thus, the current research is designed to investigate the effect of short-term CM supplementation on oxidative stress and muscle damage markers in trained soccer players. In this randomized double-blind controlled trial, 28 healthy, highly-trained male soccer players were selected and randomly assigned into 2 groups to take 6 g/day CM or placebo for 7 days. Blood samples were then taken in a resting-state at baseline and 24 h after the 7-day supplement intervention; and serum malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), and uric acid levels were measured. Compared to the baseline, CM significantly decreased serum uric acid levels (P = 0.03) and significantly increased serum LDH concentrations (P = 0.002). However, there were no significant changes in serum levels of MDA, CAT, GSH, TAC, SOD, LDH CK, and uric acid compared to the placebo group (P > 0.05). It appears that short-term CM supplementation does not improve oxidative stress and muscle damage in soccer players. Further investigations should be conducted to fully understand the effects of CM on soccer players.