The relationship between the pressor response to involuntary isometric exercise and the contractile protein profile of the active muscle in man

The present investigation examined the relationship between the pressor response during electrically evoked isometric ankle plantar flexion and the contractile protein profile of the active muscle in seven young men [mean (SD) age, 26 (6) years] and five older men [70 (4) years]. Muscle biopsy samples were taken from lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and soleus (SOL) of each subject. These were analysed for isomyosin composition using non-denaturing pyrophosphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The degree of association was examined between the cardiovascular changes and the fast isomyosin content of LG and SOL individually and in combination (SOL/LG). In the total subject group there was no association between the heart rate response or the change in systolic blood pressure (BP) and the fast isomyosin composition. However, the change in diastolic BP was significantly associated with the fast isomyosin composition of SOL/LG (diastol-licBP=0.31+0.045%FM SOL/LG,r=0.65,P=0.029). These findings suggest that the magnitude of the peripheral reflex mediated pressor response to isometric exercise and the fast isomyosin content of the active muscle are related.