The effect of dynamic exercise on muscle and blood ammonia (NH3) and amino acid contents has been investigated. Eight healthy men cycled at 50% and 97% of maximal oxygen uptake for 10 min and 5.2 min (to fatigue), respectively. Biopsies (quadriceps femoris muscle), arterial and femoral venous blood samples were obtained at rest and during exercise. Muscle NH3 at rest and after submaximal exercise was (means +/- SE) 0.5 +/- 0.1 mmol/kg dry muscle (d.m.) and increased to 4.1 +/- 0.5 mmol/kg d.m. at fatigue (P less than 0.001). The total adenine nucleotide (TAN) pool (TAN = ATP + ADP + AMP) did not change after submaximal exercise but decreased significantly at fatigue (P less than 0.001). The decrease in TAN was similar to the increase in NH3. Muscle lactate was 3 +/- 1 mmol/kg d.m. at rest and increased to 104 +/- 5 mmol/kg d.m. at fatigue. Whole blood and plasma NH3 did not change significantly during submaximal but both increased significantly during maximal exercise (P less than 0.001). During maximal exercise the leg released 7,120 mumol/min of lactate, whereas only 89 mumol/min of NH3 were released. NH3 accumulation in muscle could buffer only 3% of the hydrogen ions released from lactate, and NH3 release could account for only 1% of the net hydrogen ion transport out of the cell. Muscle glutamine was constant throughout the study, whereas glutamate decreased and alanine increased during exercise (P less than 0.001). No significant changes in either arterial whole blood glutamine or glutamate were observed. Arterial plasma glutamine and glutamate concentrations, however, increased and decreased (P less than 0.001), respectively, during exercise. It is concluded that (1) muscle and blood NH3 levels increase only during strenuous exercise and (2) NH3 accumulation is of minor importance for regulating acid-base balance in body fluids during exercise.