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1 Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation Studies, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2; 2 Department of Rehabilitation, Lund University Hospital, S-22185 Lund; and 3 Department of Health Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, S-96136 Boden, Sweden
Tibialis anterior muscle biopsies from moderately active men and women (21-30 yr; n = 30) were examined to determine potential gender differences in capillarization. The fiber type proportions [type I (T1) ~73%] were unaffected by gender. The men (M) had significantly (P < 0.001) larger fibers than the women (W), with a greater gender effect for type II (T2) fibers (P < 0.001). The M and W had similar capillary densities (CD ~390 capillaries/mm2), but the capillaries-to-fiber ratio (C/F) was higher in the M (M = 2.20 ± 0.35, W = 1.66 ± 0.32; P < 0.01). Capillary contacts (CC) were higher in T2 than T1 for the M (P < 0.01), but not W, and M had greater CC (P < 0.001). Both fiber area per capillary (FA/C) and fiber perimeter per capillary (FP/C) indicated that T1 fibers had greater capillarization than T2 fibers (P < 0.001). There were no gender differences in T1 FA/C and T2 FA/C or T1 FP/C, but a gender difference existed for T2 FP/C (M = 60.5 ± 10.9, W = 70.6 ± 13.4; P < 0.01). The gender difference for C/F could be explained by fiber size; however, the physiological implications of the difference in T2 FP/C remains to be determined. In conclusion, despite gender differences for fiber size, overall, capillarization was similar between the men and women.
capillaries; sex factors; muscle fibers
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