Effects of blood-flow restriction on biomarkers of myogenesis in response to resistance exercise

We investigated the acute myogenic response to resistance exercise with and without blood-flow restriction (BFR). Six men and women (age, 22 +/- 1 years) performed unilateral knee extensions at 40% of 1-repetition maximum with or without (CNTRL) BFR applied via pressure cuff inflated to 220 mm Hg. Muscle biopsies were collected at 4 h and 24 h postexercise. Addition of BFR increased myoD and c-Met messenger RNA expression relative to CNTRL. Expression of hepatocyte growth factor protein was significantly higher following CNTRL.