Cyanoside chloride and chromocarbe diethylamine are more effective than vitamin C against exercise-induced oxidative stress

The Effect of Hot Water Extract of Tilapia on Exercise Capacity in Mice

Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) has become one of the main aquatic products of Taiwan. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a hot water extract of tilapia (HWET) in relieving fatigue and enhancing exercise performance in mice in a swimming endurance test. Male ICR mice were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10 per group) and treated with either a vehicle (control group) or different doses of HWET, which were designated as HWET-L (800 mg/kg/day), HWET-M (1600 mg/kg/day), and HWET-H (4000 mg/kg/day). The results of the swimming endurance test showed that HWET treatment significantly improved exercise-induced fatigue as the swimming time of the mice increased (p < 0.05). One hour after the test, blood samples were collected from each mouse and serum biochemical parameters were measured. The serum levels of lactate, creatine kinase (CK), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were lower in mice treated with HWET compared to the control group. Moreover, HWET treatment increased serum glucose levels and glycogen content in the liver. Enhanced glutathione (GSH) content in the liver and muscle was also found in the HWET-M and HWET-H groups. Western blot results showed that the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the liver tissue was downregulated by HWET treatment. Taken together, our results demonstrate that HWET supplementation could enhance exercise performance and alleviate fatigue via biochemical profile improvements. This suggests that HWET has the potential for future development into functional foods or nutritional supplements to relieve fatigue.

Protein-Rich Extract from the Bagrid Catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco Improves Exercise Performance and Anti-Fatigue

Background:

The freshwater bagrid catfish, Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, is used in hot chowder or tonic soup, and it has become a favorite inland aquaculturable species in Asian countries. To investigate the claims regarding its beneficial effects, we examined physical exercise performance in mice fed protein-rich P. fulvidraco extract.

Methods:

Mice were fed P. fulvidraco extract (25 mg/mL) orally once per day for 1 week at a dose of 10 &#181;.L/g body weight, and then forelimb grip strength, swimming endurance, body weight, and blood biochemical indicators were examined.

Results:

Bagrid catfish extract significantly enhanced grip strength to 1.25 ± 0.04 N (P < 0.01), which was 23% higher than that on day 0. The extract also increased swimming endurance to 86 ± 10 sec (P <0.05), which was 46% higher than that on day 0. After the gripping exercises, the blood glucose level was significantly increased to an average of 222% compared with the control level. Lactate dehydrogenase and glutathione peroxidase levels were also significantly increased by 350% and 205%, respectively. The urea level in blood serum was 60% compared with control. In addition, triglyceride and cholesterol levels decreased to 69% and 73%, respectively, in extract-fed mice.

Conclusion:

Bagrid catfish extract improved exercise performance and fatigue recovery by providing more blood glucose and decreasing lactate and oxidative stress caused by exhaustive exercise..

Hot Water Extract of Leather Carp (Cyprinus carpio nudus) Improves Exercise Performance in Mice

The hot water extract of leather carp (Cyprinus carpio nudus) has been used as a nourishing tonic soup and as an aid for recovery from physical fatigue. In this study, we investigated the effect of leather carp extract on exercise performance in mice. Swimming endurance and forelimb grip strength were assessed following oral administration of the extract (once per day for 7 days) at a dose of 0.5 mg/10 μL/g body weight. After 7 days, mice given the leather carp extract had significantly greater swimming endurance [105±18 s (P<0.05); 52% longer than day 0] and forelimb grip strength [1.18±0.05 Newton (P<0.01); 17% greater than day 0]. The extract increased muscle mass, but had little effect on body weight. Following the swimming exercise, blood glucose, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase levels in extract-fed mice were significantly higher (145%, 131%, and 106%, respectively) than in the saline control group. Blood levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were also significantly increased (128%) in mice given the extract compared to the controls. These results suggest that leather carp extract can improve physical exercise performance and prevent oxidative stress caused by exhaustive workouts.

Oral Administration of a Hot Water Extract of the Softshell Turtle (Trionyx sinensis) Improves Exercise Performance

Freshwater softshell turtle (Trionyx sinensis) extract has been used traditionally as a tonic soup, and to recover from physical fatigue. To support these claims, the forelimb grip strength of mice was measured after feeding a soft-shell turtle extract for 7 days. The T. sinensis extract significantly increased the grip strength to 1.25±0.07 N (P<0.01), which is 16.8% higher than the force on day 0. After exercising, the blood glucose levels in extract-fed mice were 202% higher and urea levels were 73% lower, which were both significantly different than the levels observed after control treatment. Lactate dehydrogenase was significantly higher by 314%, and glutathione peroxidase increased by 165%. In addition, the obesity markers, serum triglyceride and cholesterol, decreased to 62% and 49%, respectively, after mice were fed the extract. These data show that the T. sinensis extract provided more energy for forelimb exercise, prevented protein catabolism and muscle fatigue, and decreased the oxidative stress caused by an exhaustive workout.

The traditional drug Gongjin-Dan ameliorates chronic fatigue in a forced-stress mouse exercise model

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Gongjin-Dan is a representative traditional Oriental medicine herbal drug that has been used to treat chronic fatigue symptoms for several hundred years. We evaluated the anti-fatigue effects of Gongjin-Dan and the underlying mechanisms in a chronic forced exercise mouse model.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Balb/C male mice underwent an extreme treadmill-based running stress (1-h, 5 days/week), and daily oral administration of distilled water, Gongjin-Dan (100, 200, or 400 mg/kg), or ascorbic acid (100 mg/kg) for 28 days. The anti-fatigue effects of Gongjin-Dan were evaluated with behavioral tests (exercise tolerance and swimming tests), and the corresponding mechanisms were investigated based on oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokine and stress hormone levels in skeletal muscle, sera, and brain tissue.

RESULTS

Gongjin-Dan significantly increased exercise tolerance and latency times but reduced the number of electric shocks and immobilization time on the treadmill running and swimming tests, compared with the control group. Gongjin-Dan also significantly ameliorated alterations in oxidative stress-related biomarkers (reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde), inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, and interferon-γ) and glycogen and L-lactate levels in skeletal muscle, compared with those in the control group. Moreover, Gongjin-Dan considerably normalized the forced running stress-induced changes in serum corticosterone and adrenaline levels, as well as brain serotonin level. These antioxidant and anti-stress effects of Gongjin-Dan were supported by the results of Western blotting (4-hydroxynonenal and heme oxygenase-1) and the gene expression levels (serotonin receptor and serotonin transporter).

CONCLUSION

These results support the clinical relevance of Gongjin-Dan regarding anti-chronic fatigue properties. The underlying mechanisms involve attenuation of oxidative and inflammatory reactions in muscle and regulation of the stress response through the hypothalmo-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Caffeine supplementation modulates oxidative stress markers in the liver of trained rats

AIMS

Caffeine has been widely used in sports competitions due to its ergogenic effects. Most of the studies regarding caffeine and exercise have focused on muscle and plasma adaptations, while the impact on the liver is scarcely described. The aim is to analyze the effects of caffeine and exercise training on oxidative stress markers and injury-related parameters in the liver.

MAIN METHODS

Rats were divided into sedentary/saline, sedentary/caffeine, exercise/saline, and exercise/caffeine groups. Exercise groups underwent 4 weeks of swimming training, and caffeine (6 mg/kg, p.o.) was supplemented throughout the training protocol. Injury-related liver parameters were assessed in plasma, while redox status and oxidative stress markers were measured on liver homogenates.

KEY FINDINGS

Exercise training increased muscle citrate synthase activity in the muscle, while in caffeine decreased its activity in both sedentary and trained rats. Aspartate transaminase levels were increased after training, and caffeine intake suppressed this elevation (p<0.05). Caffeine also diminished alanine transaminase levels in both sedentary and exercised rats (p<0.05). Exercise training induced a significant increase on the activity of the enzymes superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, as an increase on thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances levels was also reached (p<0.05); caffeine intake blunted these alterations. Caffeine intake also suppressed liver catalase activity in both sedentary and exercise groups (p<0.05).

SIGNIFICANCE

Our data suggest that caffeine modified the hepatic responses associated to exercise-induced oxidative stress without affecting the performance, exerting different actions according to the tissue. However, further studies are needed to better understand caffeine's role on liver under exercise training.

Antioxidant effects of vitamins C and E, multivitamin-mineral complex and flavonoids in a model of retinal oxidative stress: the ApoE-deficient mouse

The aim of the current study was to investigate the biochemical changes in the plasma and retina of apolipoprotein E deficient (apoE-/-) mice supplemented with various antioxidants. Ten wild type (WT-Con, C57BL/6) and 10 apoE-/- (AE-Con) mice received drinking water. Another 40 apoE-/- animals were divided into four groups of 10 mice each and received either chromocarbe diethylamine (AE-CD, 50mg/kg), cyaninosides chloride (AE-CC, 50mg/kg), multivitamin complex (AE-MC, 50mg/kg), or vitamins C and E (AE-CE, 100mg/kg and 200IU/kg). Cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS]) were measured in plasma, and TBARS and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) concentration were determined in retinal homogenates. Transmission electron microscopy was performed to examine the retinal ultrastructure. AE-Con mice had significantly (P<0.05) increased oxidative stress in the plasma and retina with augmented production of retinal NOx compared with WT-Con mice. Retinal TBARS decreased in the AE-MC and AE-CE animals compared with the AE-Con group (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). Only AE-CE treatment significantly (P<0.01) lowered retinal NOx. Morphologic retinal changes in the AE-Con group decreased in the AE-CE and AE-MC groups. There were no significant changes in the biochemical and structural parameters in the AE-CD and AE-CC groups. AE-Con mice had increased systemic and retinal oxidative stress compared with WT-Con animals. Vitamins C and E and the multivitamin-mineral complex reduced oxidative stress and ultrastructural retinal changes in this murine model of hypercholesterolemia.

Exercise and functional foods

Appropriate nutrition is an essential prerequisite for effective improvement of athletic performance, conditioning, recovery from fatigue after exercise, and avoidance of injury. Nutritional supplements containing carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals have been widely used in various sporting fields to provide a boost to the recommended daily allowance. In addition, several natural food components have been found to show physiological effects, and some of them are considered to be useful for promoting exercise performance or for prevention of injury. However, these foods should only be used when there is clear scientific evidence and with understanding of the physiological changes caused by exercise. This article describes various "functional foods" that have been reported to be effective for improving exercise performance or health promotion, along with the relevant physiological changes that occur during exercise.

Lycopene supplementation attenuated xanthine oxidase and myeloperoxidase activities in skeletal muscle tissues of rats after exhaustive exercise

Strenuous exercise is known to induce oxidative stress leading to the generation of free radicals. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of lycopene, an antioxidant nutrient, at a relatively low dose (2.6 mg/kg per d) and a relatively high dose (7.8 mg/kg per d) on the antioxidant status of blood and skeletal muscle tissues in rats after exhaustive exercise. Rats were divided into six groups: sedentary control (C); sedentary control with low-dose lycopene (CLL); sedentary control with high-dose lycopene (CHL); exhaustive exercise (E); exhaustive exercise with low-dose lycopene (ELL); exhaustive exercise with high-dose lycopene (EHL). After 30 d, the rats in the three C groups were killed without exercise, but the rats in the three E groups were killed immediately after an exhaustive running test on a motorised treadmill. The results showed that xanthine oxidase (XO) activities of plasma and muscle, and muscular myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in group E were significantly increased compared with group C. Compared with group E, the elevations of XO and MPO activities of muscle were significantly decreased in group EHL. The malondialdehyde concentrations of plasma and tissues in group E were significantly increased by 72 and 114 %, respectively, compared with those in group C. However, this phenomenon was prevented in rats of the ELL and EHL groups. There was no significant difference in the GSH concentrations of erythrocytes in each group; however, exhaustive exercise resulted in a significant decrease in the GSH content of muscle. In conclusion, these results suggested that lycopene protected muscle tissue from oxidative stress after exhaustive exercise.

Effect of medicinal plant extracts on forced swimming capacity in mice

The tonic effect of Cordyceps militaris (CM), Paecilomyces japonia (PJ), Phellinus linteus (PL), Ganoderma lucidum (GL), Grifola frondosa (GF), and Panax ginseng (PG) was examined based on the forced swimming capacity and the change of biochemical parameters in ICR mice. The treatment groups were orally administered medicinal plant extracts (500 mg/kg per day), while the control group received distilled water for 4 weeks. The swimming times to exhaustion were longer in the CM, PJ, and GF groups than in the control group (P < 0.05). Plasma TG levels were lower in the treatment groups than in the control group. Plasma glucose levels were not significantly different between the control group and each treatment group except the PG group. Plasma lactate and ammonia levels of the PJ and GF groups were lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the content of liver and gastrocnemius muscle glycogen between the control group and each treatment group. In conclusion, PJ and GF extracts enhanced the forced swimming capacity of mice by increasing fat utilization and by delaying the accumulation of plasma lactate and ammonia.