ORIGINAL ARTICLE  EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2019 November;59(11):1828-34

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.19.09463-5

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Assessment of muscle fiber adaptation in footballers using a new ELISA assay of myosin isoforms

Mario GUERRERO ¹, Gerard CARMONA ², Gil RODAS ³, Joan A. CADEFAU ^{1, 2}, Antonio MAESTRO ⁴, Roser CUSSÓ ^{1, 5} ✉

¹ Department of Biomedecine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; ² INEF of Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain; ³ Futbol Club Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; ⁴ Real Sporting Club Gijón, Gijón, Spain; ⁵ Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

BACKGROUND: To measure the impact of training models on injury incidence, data of health and performance were integrated to study fiber adaptation during a competitive season. We studied football players over a season, analyzing hours of exposure to sport by serum changes in fast and slow myosin, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase.
METHODS: A new assay was developed to measure the myosin isoforms in 49 non-sporting volunteers and in 27 professional football players.
RESULTS: Myosin isoforms in volunteers with mean ages of 30±8 were 1553 µg/L fast and 1284 µg/L slow; in the group with of 56±7 were 1426 µg/L fast and 1046 µg/L slow. Slow myosin was significantly lower in older subjects (-18%). Samples from the players in preseason had lower mean scores for fast myosin (1123 µg/L) and higher for slow myosin (2072 µg/L) than reference volunteers. During the season, myosins reached the maximum with the maximum load (1537 µg/L fast, 2195 µg/L slow but decreased and adapted to the high level of demand (425 µg/L fast, 1342 µg/L slow). CK and LDH were maximal at the pre-season (227 U/L, 333 U/L) while myosin levels were maximal at the beginning of season (1537 µg/L, 2195 µg/L).
CONCLUSIONS: Measuring serum myosin isoforms we identify the type and amount of damage caused by training and matches, making it a new control tool capable of advising training towards a minimum of blood slow myosin but controlling the fast fiber participating and be able to improve the performance of the players.

KEY WORDS: Myosins; Football; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay