scholarly journals History-dependence of muscle slack length in humans: effects of contraction intensity, stretch amplitude, and time

2020 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 957-966
Author(s):  
Martin Eric Héroux ◽  
Ida Anderman ◽  
Sofia Nykvist Vouis ◽  
Joanna Diong ◽  
Peter William Stubbs ◽  
...  

The slack length of a relaxed human skeletal muscle is not fixed; it can be modified by contraction and stretch. Contraction of the human vastus lateralis muscle at short lengths reduces the muscle’s slack length. Even very weak contractions are sufficient to induce this effect. The effect persists for at least 5 min but can be reduced or abolished with a large-amplitude passive stretch.

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 624-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Brault ◽  
Theodore F. Towse ◽  
Jill M. Slade ◽  
Ronald A. Meyer

Short-term creatine supplementation is reported to result in a decreased ratio of phosphocreatine (PCr) to total creatine (TCr) in human skeletal muscle at rest. Assuming equilibrium of the creatine kinase reaction, this decrease in PCr:TCr implies increased cytoplasmic ADP and decreased Gibbs free energy of ATP hydrolysis in muscle, which seems contrary to the reported ergogenic benefits of creatine supplementation. This study measured changes in PCr and TCr in vastus lateralis muscle of adult men (N = 6, 21–35 y old) during and 1 day after 5 d of creatine monohydrate supplementation (0.43 g·kg body weight−1·d−1) using noninvasive 31P and 1H magnetic-resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Plasma and red-blood-cell creatine increased by 10-fold and 2-fold, respectively, by the third day of supplementation. MRS-measured skeletal muscle PCr and TCr increased linearly and in parallel throughout the 5 d, and there was no significant difference in the percentage increase in muscle PCr (11.7% ± 2.3% after 5 d) vs. TCr (14.9% ± 4.1%) at any time point. The results indicate that creatine supplementation does not alter the PCr:TCr ratio, and hence the cytoplasmic Gibbs free energy of ATP hydrolysis, in human skeletal muscle at rest.


2018 ◽  
Vol 125 (5) ◽  
pp. 1609-1619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Munk Dethlefsen ◽  
Lærke Bertholdt ◽  
Anders Gudiksen ◽  
Tomasz Stankiewicz ◽  
Jens Bangsbo ◽  
...  

The present study aimed at investigating fasting-induced responses in regulators and markers of autophagy in vastus lateralis muscle from untrained and trained human subjects. Untrained and trained subjects (based on maximum oxygen uptake, muscle citrate synthase activity, and oxidative phosphorylation protein level) fasted for 36 h with vastus lateralis muscle biopsies obtained at 2, 12, 24, and 36 h after a standardized meal. Fasting reduced ( P < 0.05) skeletal muscle microtubule-associated protein-1A/1B light chain 3 (LC3)I, LC3II, and adaptor protein sequestosome 1/p62 protein content in untrained subjects only. Moreover, skeletal muscle RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT)Thr308, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)Thr172, and Unc-51-like autophagy-activating kinase-1 (ULK1)Ser555 phosphorylation state, as well as Bcl-2-interacting coiled-coil protein-1 (Beclin1) and ULK1Ser757 phosphorylation, was lower ( P < 0.05) in trained than untrained subjects during fasting. In addition, the plasma concentrations of several amino acids were higher ( P < 0.05) in trained than untrained subjects, and the plasma concentration profile of several amino acids was different in untrained and trained subjects during fasting. Taken together, these findings suggest that 36-h fasting has effects on some mediators of autophagy in untrained human skeletal muscle and that training state influences the effect of fasting on autophagy signaling and on mediators of autophagy in skeletal muscle. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study showed that skeletal muscle autophagy was only modestly affected in humans by 36 h of fasting. Hence, 36-h fasting has effects on some mediators of autophagy in untrained human skeletal muscle, and training state influences the effect of fasting on autophagy signaling and on mediators of autophagy in skeletal muscle.


1978 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 852-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. Gollnick ◽  
J. Karlsson ◽  
K. Piehl ◽  
B. Saltin

Experiments were conducted to examine the conversions of phosphorylase b to phosphorylase a in human skeletal muscle during bicycle exercise or isometric contractions. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis with the needle technique at rest and either during or immediately after activity and frozen in liquid nitrogen within 2--4 s. Total phosphorylase and phosphorylase a activities were differentiated by measurement in the presence and absence of AMP, respectively. At rest 8.5% of the total phosphorylase activity existed in the a form. Little or no change in the percent of phosphorylase in the a form occurred during voluntary dynamic or static muscular activity that produced muscle lactate concentrations in excess of 18 mmol.kg-1 wet muscle. Electrical stimulation of the vastus lateralis muscle also failed to produce an increase in the percentage of phosphorylase a. These data suggest that during exercise the conversion of phosphorylase to the a form is of minor importance. An increased activity of phosphorylase b due to changes in muscle concentrations of ATP, AMP, and inorganic phosphate may regulate glycogenolysis during voluntary exercise in man.


2019 ◽  
Vol 316 (4) ◽  
pp. E605-E614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniil V. Popov ◽  
Pavel A. Makhnovskii ◽  
Elena I. Shagimardanova ◽  
Guzel R. Gazizova ◽  
Evgeny A. Lysenko ◽  
...  

Reduction in daily activity leads to dramatic metabolic disorders, while regular aerobic exercise training is effective for preventing this problem. The purpose of this study was to identify genes that are directly related to contractile activity in human skeletal muscle, regardless of the level of fitness. Transcriptome changes after the one-legged knee extension exercise in exercised and contralateral nonexercised vastus lateralis muscle of seven men were evaluated by RNA-seq. Transcriptome change at baseline after 2 mo of aerobic training (5/wk, 1 h/day) was evaluated as well. Postexercise changes in the transcriptome of exercised muscle were associated with different factors, including circadian oscillations. To reveal transcriptome response specific for endurance-like contractile activity, differentially expressed genes between exercised and nonexercised muscle were evaluated at 1 and 4 h after the one-legged exercise. The contractile activity-specific transcriptome responses were associated only with an increase in gene expression and were regulated mainly by CREB/ATF/AP1-, MYC/MAX-, and E2F-related transcription factors. Endurance training-induced changes (an increase or decrease) in the transcriptome at baseline were more pronounced than transcriptome responses specific for acute contractile activity. Changes after training were associated with widely different biological processes than those after acute exercise and were regulated by different transcription factors (IRF- and STAT-related factors). In conclusion, adaptation to regular exercise is associated not only with a transient (over several hours) increase in expression of many contractile activity-specific genes, but also with a pronounced change (an increase or decrease) in expression of a large number of genes under baseline conditions.


1999 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 1668-1673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marni D. Boppart ◽  
Doron Aronson ◽  
Lindsay Gibson ◽  
Ronenn Roubenoff ◽  
Leslie W. Abad ◽  
...  

Eccentric contractions require the lengthening of skeletal muscle during force production and result in acute and prolonged muscle injury. Because a variety of stressors, including physical exercise and injury, can result in the activation of the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) intracellular signaling cascade in skeletal muscle, we investigated the effects of eccentric exercise on the activation of this stress-activated protein kinase in human skeletal muscle. Twelve healthy subjects (7 men, 5 women) completed maximal concentric or eccentric knee extensions on a KinCom isokinetic dynamometer (10 sets, 10 repetitions). Percutaneous needle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle 24 h before exercise (basal), immediately postexercise, and 6 h postexercise. Whereas both forms of exercise increased JNK activity immediately postexercise, eccentric contractions resulted in a much higher activation (15.4 ± 4.5 vs. 3.5 ± 1.4-fold increase above basal, eccentric vs. concentric). By 6 h after exercise, JNK activity decreased back to baseline values. In contrast to the greater activation of JNK with eccentric exercise, the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4, the immediate upstream regulator of JNK, was similarly activated by concentric and eccentric exercise. Because the activation of JNK promotes the phosphorylation of a variety of transcription factors, including c-Jun, the results from this study suggest that JNK may be involved in the molecular and cellular adaptations that occur in response to injury-producing exercise in human skeletal muscle.


2018 ◽  
Vol 315 (2) ◽  
pp. H242-H253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masashi Ichinose ◽  
Mikie Nakabayashi ◽  
Yumie Ono

We used diffuse correlation spectroscopy to investigate sympathetic vasoconstriction, local vasodilation, and integration of these two responses in the skeletal muscle microvasculature of 20 healthy volunteers. Diffuse correlation spectroscopy probes were placed on the flexor carpi radialis muscle or vastus lateralis muscle, and a blood flow index was derived continuously. We measured hemodynamic responses during sympathoexcitation induced by forehead cooling, after which the effects of the increased sympathetic tone on vasodilatory responses during postocclusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) were examined. PORH was induced by releasing arterial occlusion (3 min) in an arm or leg. To increase sympathetic tone during PORH, forehead cooling was begun 60 s before the occlusion release and ended 60 s after the release. During forehead cooling, mean arterial pressure rose significantly and was sustained at an elevated level. Significant vasoconstriction and decreases in blood flow index followed by gradual blunting of the vasoconstriction also occurred. The time course of these responses is in good agreement with previous observations in animals. The acute sympathoexcitation diminished the peak vasodilation during PORH only in the vastus lateralis muscle, but it hastened the decline in vasodilation after the peak in both the flexor carpi radialis muscle and vastus lateralis muscle. Consequently, the total vasodilatory response assessed as the area of the vascular conductance during the first minute of PORH was significantly diminished in both regions. We conclude that, in humans, the integrated effects of sympathetic vasoconstriction and local vasodilation have an important role in vascular regulation and control of perfusion in the skeletal muscle microcirculation. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We used diffuse correlation spectroscopy to demonstrate that acute sympathoexcitation constrains local vasodilation in the human skeletal muscle microvasculature during postocclusive reactive hyperemia. This finding indicates that integration of sympathetic vasoconstriction and local vasodilation is importantly involved in vascular regulation and the control of perfusion of the skeletal muscle microcirculation in humans.


1989 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 876-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Richter ◽  
K. J. Mikines ◽  
H. Galbo ◽  
B. Kiens

The effect of 1 h of dynamic one-legged exercise on insulin action in human muscle was studied in 6 healthy young men. Four hours after one-legged knee extensions, a three-step sequential euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp combined with arterial and bilateral femoral vein catheterization was performed. Increased insulin action on glucose uptake was found in the exercised compared with the rested thigh at mean plasma insulin concentrations of 23, 40, and 410 microU/ml. Furthermore, prior contractions directed glucose uptake toward glycogen synthesis and increased insulin effects on thigh O2 consumption and at some insulin concentrations on potassium exchange. In contrast, no change in insulin effects on limb exchange of free fatty acids, glycerol, alanine or tyrosine were found after exercise. Glycogen concentration in rested vastus lateralis muscle did not increase measurably during the clamp even though indirect estimates indicated net glycogen synthesis. In contrast, in exercised muscle estimated and biopsy-verified increases in muscle glycogen concentration agreed. Local contraction-induced increases in insulin sensitivity and responsiveness play an important role in postexercise recovery of human skeletal muscle.


1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (3) ◽  
pp. E541-E544 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Odland ◽  
G. J. Heigenhauser ◽  
G. D. Lopaschuk ◽  
L. L. Spriet

Previous literature has indicated that contraction-induced decreases in malonyl-CoA are instrumental in the regulation of fatty acid oxidation during prolonged submaximal exercise. This study was designed to measure malonyl-CoA in human vastus lateralis muscle at rest and during submaximal exercise. Eight males and one female cycled for 70 min (10 min at 40% and 60 min at 65% maximal O2 uptake). Needle biopsies were obtained at rest and at 10 min, 20 min, and 70 min of exercise. Malonyl-CoA content in preexercise biopsy samples determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was 1.53 +/- 0.18 micromol/kg dry mass (dm). Malonyl-CoA content did not change significantly during exercise (1.39 +/- 0.21 at 10 min, 1.46 +/- 0.14 at 20 min, and 1.22 +/- 0.15 micromol/kg dm at 70 min). In contrast, malonyl-CoA content determined by HPLC in perfused rat red gastrocnemius muscle decreased significantly during 20 min of stimulation at 0.7 Hz [3.44 +/- 0.54 to 1.64 +/- 0.23 nmol/g dm, (n=9)]. We conclude that human skeletal muscle malonyl-CoA content 1) is less than reported in rat skeletal muscle at rest, 2) does not decrease with prolonged submaximal exercise, and 3) is not predictive of increased fatty acid oxidation during exercise.


1986 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 435-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birger Fagher ◽  
Hans Liedholm ◽  
Mario Monti ◽  
Ulrich Moritz

1. The influence of β-adrenoceptor-blockade on skeletal muscle was studied in ten healthy males with propranolol, atenolol and pindolol randomly given for 8 days each in a cross-over double blind test. After 7 days on each drug, muscle function was tested by an isokinetic dynamometer. Thermogenesis in biopsy samples taken from vastus lateralis muscle after a low grade exercise was studied after 8 days on each drug by direct calorimetry with a perfusion microcalorimeter. 2. Before drug administration, a median heat production rate of 0.67 mW/g of muscle was measured. This value was significantly reduced by 25% during propranolol, but no significant change was found during atenolol or pindolol administration. 3. Peak torque decline during isokinetic endurance test changed significantly in knee flexor but not in extensor muscles, from 15% to 27% after propranolol and from 15% to 23% after pindolol. Maximum dynamic strength was unaltered. 4. Our data suggest that blockade of sympathetic β2-receptors decreases thermogenesis in human skeletal muscle and impairs isokinetic endurance.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (2) ◽  
pp. H772-H778 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Richardson ◽  
H. Wagner ◽  
S. R. D. Mudaliar ◽  
E. Saucedo ◽  
R. Henry ◽  
...  

Angiogenesis is a component of the multifactoral adaptation to exercise training, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is involved in extracellular matrix changes and endothelial cell proliferation. However, there is limited evidence supporting the role of VEGF in the exercise training response. Thus we studied mRNA levels of VEGF, using quantitative Northern analysis, in untrained and trained human skeletal muscle at rest and after a single bout of exercise. Single leg knee-extension provided the acute exercise stimulus and the training modality. Four biopsies were collected from the vastus lateralis muscle at rest in the untrained and trained conditions before and after exercise. Training resulted in a 35% increase in muscle oxygen consumption and an 18% increase in number of capillaries per muscle fiber. At rest, VEGF/18S mRNA levels were similar before (0.38 ± 0.04) and after (1.2 ± 0.4) training. When muscle was untrained, acute exercise greatly elevated VEGF/18S mRNA levels (16.9 ± 6.7). The VEGF/18S mRNA response to acute exercise in the trained state was markedly attenuated (5.4 ± 1.3). These data support the concept that VEGF is involved in exercise-induced skeletal muscle angiogenesis and appears to be subject to a negative feedback mechanism as exercise adaptations occur.


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