Integrative Orthopedic Laboratory, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Trauma, Acute Surgery and Orthopedics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2024 May;240(5):e14129. doi: 10.1111/apha.14129. Epub 2024 Mar 8.
The influence on acute skeletal muscle transcriptomics of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), as compared to established exercises, is poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the effects on global mRNA-expression in the quadriceps muscle early after a single NMES-session, compared to the effects of voluntary knee extension exercise (EX), and to explore the discomfort level.
Global vastus lateralis muscle gene expression was assessed (RNA-sequencing) in 30 healthy participants, before and 3 h after a 30-min session of NMES and/or EX. The NMES-treatment was applied using textile electrodes integrated in pants and set to 20% of each participant's pre-tested MVC mean (±SD) 200 (±80) Nm. Discomfort was assessed using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS, 0-10). The EX-protocol was performed at 80% of 1-repetition-maximum.
NMES at 20% of MVC resulted in VAS below 4 and induced 4448 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with 80%-overlap of the 2571 DEGs of EX. Genes well-known to be up-regulated following exercise, for example, PPARGC1A, ABRA, VEGFA, and GDNF, were also up-regulated by NMES. Gene set enrichment analysis demonstrated many common pathways after EX and NMES. Also, some pathways were exclusive to either EX, for example, muscle tissue proliferation, or to NMES, for example, neurite outgrowth and connective tissue proliferation.
A 30-min NMES-session at 20% of MVC with NMES-pants, which can be applied with an acceptable level of discomfort, induces over 4000 DEGs, of which 80%-overlap with DEGs of EX. NMES can induce exercise-like molecular effects, that potentially can lead to health and performance benefits in individuals who are unable to perform resistance exercise.
与已确立的运动相比，神经肌肉电刺激（NMES）对急性骨骼肌转录组学的影响知之甚少。我们旨在研究单次 NMES 治疗后早期股四头肌整体 mRNA 表达的变化，并与主动膝关节伸展运动（EX）的影响进行比较，同时探讨不适程度。
在 30 名健康参与者中，使用集成在裤子中的纺织品电极进行 30 分钟 NMES 治疗或 NMES 治疗与 EX 联合治疗，评估其股外侧肌的整体基因表达（RNA 测序）。NMES 治疗采用 20%的每位参与者预先测试的最大随意收缩平均（±SD）200（±80）N 进行。使用视觉模拟量表（VAS，0-10）评估不适程度。EX 方案以 1 次重复最大值的 80%进行。
NMES 以 20%的 MVC 产生的 VAS 低于 4，诱导 4448 个差异表达基因（DEGs），其中 80%的 EX 的 2571 个 DEGs 重叠。众所周知，运动后会上调的基因，例如 PPARGC1A、ABRA、VEGFA 和 GDNF，也被 NMES 上调。基因集富集分析表明，EX 和 NMES 后有许多共同的途径。此外，一些途径是 EX 独有的，例如肌肉组织增殖，或者是 NMES 独有的，例如神经突生长和结缔组织增殖。
使用 NMES 裤子以 20%的 MVC 进行 30 分钟 NMES 治疗，不适感可接受，可诱导超过 4000 个 DEGs，其中 80%的与 EX 的 DEGs 重叠。NMES 可以诱导类似运动的分子效应，这可能会为无法进行抗阻运动的个体带来健康和表现上的益处。
