Desmin cytoskeletal modifications after a bout of eccentric exercise in the rat

1 Departments of Orthopaedics and Bioengineering, and the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Group, University of California and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, San Diego, California 92161; and 2 Department of Hand Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE405 30 Göteborg, Sweden Desmin content and immunohistochemical appearance were measured in tibialis anterior muscles of rats subjected to a single bout of 30 eccentric contractions (ECs). Ankle torque was measured before EC and at various recovery times, after which immunohistochemical and immunoblot analyses were performed. Torque decreased by ~50% immediately after EC and fully recovered 168 h later ( P