Effects of endurance training on muscle fibre ATP-ase activity, capillary supply and mitochondrial content in man.

Seven young females were subjected to 24 weeks of intensive endurance training. Adaptive changes in myofibrillary ATP-ase activity, capillary supply and mitochondrial content were investigated with light- and electron microscopy in needle biopsies from the quadriceps femoris. 1. The average value for the maximal oxygen uptake increased from 45.7 to 57.2 (ml . kg-1 min-1) (25.2%, P less than 0.005). 2. The average number of capillaries per muscle fibre increased from 1.39 to 1.79 (28.8%, P less than 0.005). Since no significant change in fibre area was found, this suggests that a considerable number of new capillaries have been formed during the training period. 3. An increased capillary supply of all fibre types was found, being greatest for type I and smallest for type IIB. 4. The relative amount of type I fibres before and after the training period was 57.9 and 56.5% respectively (n.s.), for type IIA fibres 26.4 and 31.5% (P less than 0.005), for type IIB fibres 9.2 and 3.4% (P less than 0.005) and for type IIC fibres 0.4 and 2.2% (P less than 0.005). Thus, in the type II group, significant changes in subtypes take place during the endurance training. The data suggest that type IIAB may represent a transitional state between type IIA and IIB. 5. Correlation of capillary supply, myofibrillar ATP-ase activity and mitochondrial content (determined semiquantitatively of individual muscle fibres indicators that the capillary supply to a given fibre is more closely related to its mitochondrial content than to the fibre type as determined on the basis of myofibrillar ATP-ase activity.