NCT05279196

Brief Summary

There is in humans, at the muscular level, a great interindividual variability in response to the same mechanical stress. This phenotypic variability is multifactorial, influenced by environmental factors as well as multiple genetic variants. Thus, for the same level of muscle damage, two subjects with the same anthropometric characteristic, the same age, with the same medical history and the same level of physical activity, will present a variable level of muscle regeneration underpinned by the biological function of muscular stem cells and their microenvironment. Thus, faced with the same training, some athletes will develop iterative muscular lesions and more disabling repair deficits than others without knowing the reason of this greater susceptibility. Indeed, the links between the genotype of the skeletal muscle fiber and its response to exercise, as well as the regulation of muscle mass are poorly understood. Yet, in young adults, up to 70% of the observed variability in muscle strength and size is hereditary. This heritability of muscle size and strength seems to be lower in older people, probably related to increased comorbidity. Numerous experiments with athletes subjected to the same resistance exercise training have identified good and bad hypertrophic skeletal muscle responders. However, genetic variants that contribute to skeletal muscle strength and mass are largely understudied while a growing body of evidence indicates that epigenetic effectors, which modulate gene expression, may contribute to human muscle response heterogeneity to the same mechanical stress. Thus, to date, no analysis of the role of the interaction between genetic and epigenetic factors involved in the muscle functional response to exercise exists. The main hypothesis is that the epigenetic status of muscle stem cells (satellite cells) is an important contributor in muscle mass response to exercise by modulating chromatin architecture. Thus this study will identify the epigenetic modifications induced by training and their interaction with the genetic factors involved in the response of the biological function of the satellite cells to this training and on the other hand, to be able to link it to a blood signature.

Trial Health

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Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
40

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
35mo left

Started Sep 2025

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
not yet recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress19%
Sep 2025Mar 2029

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

March 3, 2022

Completed
12 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

March 15, 2022

Completed
3.5 years until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

September 1, 2025

Completed
3.5 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

March 1, 2029

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

March 1, 2029

Last Updated

September 19, 2024

Status Verified

September 1, 2024

Enrollment Period

3.5 years

First QC Date

March 3, 2022

Last Update Submit

September 9, 2024

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • DNA methylation profile of satellite cells associated with a gain in muscle mass

    DNA methylation profile of satellite cells from the quadriceps obtained from athletes at the start and after 6 months of training, will be determine using DNA methylation profiling microarray. Two groups of athletes will be constituted according to the gain (in % compared to the initial value) in muscular strength of the quadriceps induced by the training and evaluated on a strength bench. In order to identify a DNA methylation signature associated to the gain in muscle mass, DNA methylation profile will be compared between athletes considered to be good or bad responders to training.

    6 months

Secondary Outcomes (3)

  • Number and size of myoblasts obtained per satellite cells from the quadriceps

    6 months

  • Comparison of number and size of myoblasts obtained in vitro and the muscular response to training in the same athlete

    6 months

  • Comparison of the DNA methylation profile of satellite cells from the quadriceps and blood mononuclear cells in the same athlete

    6 months

Study Arms (1)

Muscular response to the training

EXPERIMENTAL

Epigenetic signature associated with different levels of muscle response induced by 6-month training

Other: Quadriceps microbiopsy and blood collection

Interventions

Microbiopsy of the quadriceps muscle using a needle, "Tru-cut" biopsy, associated with a blood sampling at the start and after 6 months of a muscle strengthening training program

Muscular response to the training

Eligibility Criteria

Age40 Years - 60 Years
Sexmale
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Senior male athlete aged between 40 and 60 inclusive
  • Athlete following a program over a season of muscle building at CREPS, the objective of which is to improve their performance in a middle-distance race.

You may not qualify if:

  • Subject having a contraindication to follow the complete muscle building program at CREPS with in particular a contraindication to the measurement of muscle mass by Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Subject presenting all criteria which can by themselves alter the function of the respiratory muscles such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, systemic infection, neuromuscular pathology, psychiatric pathology, metabolic disorder.
  • Subjects with coagulopathy or thrombocytopenia.
  • Use of anabolic drugs to increase muscle mass
  • Subject suspected of doping
  • Subject allergic to xylocaine

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

University Hospital

Montpellier, 34295, France

Location

Central Study Contacts

Stephan MATECKI, MD-PhD

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
BASIC SCIENCE
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Model Details: Comparative study of two groups of subjects formed a posteriori from a cohort follow-up
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

March 3, 2022

First Posted

March 15, 2022

Study Start

September 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2029

Last Updated

September 19, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-09

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations