Mei-Chich Hsu

Triterpenoid-Rich Extract from Antrodia camphorata Improves Physical Fatigue and Exercise Performance in Mice

Antrodia camphorata (AC) is an endemic mushroom that grows in Taiwan. We investigated the fatigue-alleviating effects of AC on endurance capacity in swim-exercised and weight-loading mice. Male Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) strain mice from 3 groups (n = 10 per group in each test) were orally administered AC fruiting body extract for 7 days at 0, 50, and 200u2009mg/kg/day, designated vehicle, AC-50, and AC-200, respectively. Trend analysis revealed that AC treatments increased grip strength. AC dose-dependently increased swim time, blood glucose, and muscular and hepatic glycogen levels and dose-dependently decreased plasma lactate and ammonia levels and creatine kinase activity. The increase in swimming endurance with AC administration was caused by an increase in liver and muscle glycogen deposition. A. camphorata may have potential for use in ergogenic and antifatigue activities.

Astragalus membranaceus Improves Exercise Performance and Ameliorates Exercise-Induced Fatigue in Trained Mice

Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is a popular “Qi-tonifying” herb with a long history of use as a Traditional Chinese Medicine with multiple biological functions. However, evidence for the effects of AM on exercise performance and physical fatigue is limited. We evaluated the potential beneficial effects of AM on ergogenic and anti-fatigue functions following physiological challenge. Male ICR strain mice were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10 per group) for treatment: (1) sedentary control and vehicle treatment (vehicle control); (2) exercise training with vehicle treatment (exercise control); and (3) exercise training with AM treatment at 0.615 g/kg/day (Ex-AM1) or (4) 3.075 g/kg/day (Ex-AM5). Both the vehicle and AM were orally administered for 6 weeks. Exercise performance and anti-fatigue function were evaluated by forelimb grip strength, exhaustive swimming time, and levels of serum lactate, ammonia, glucose, and creatine kinase after 15-min swimming exercise. Exercise training combined with AM supplementation increased endurance exercise capacity and increased hepatic and muscle glycogen content. AM reduced exercise-induced accumulation of the byproducts blood lactate and ammonia with acute exercise challenge. Moreover, we found no deleterious effects from AM treatment. Therefore, AM supplementation improved exercise performance and had anti-fatigue effects in mice. It may be an effective ergogenic aid in exercise training.

Development of a Solid Dispersion System for Improving the Oral Bioavailability of Resveratrol in Rats

Background and ObjectiveResveratrol (3,4′,5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene; RES) produces a variety of pharmacological effects; however, its oral bioavailability (BA) approaches zero. In this study, grape peel extract (GPE) was incorporated into a solid dispersion delivery system to improve the solubility, dissolution and oral absorption of RES.MethodsThe dripping pill (DP) oral delivery system was developed through the hot-melt method, and the optimal formulation consisted of GPE, propylene glycol monocaprylate, poloxamer 188, polyoxyl 35 castor oil and polyethylene glycol 6000.ResultsThe DPs enhanced the (meanxa0±xa0SD) dissolution of RES from 23.3xa0±xa01.0 to 67.8xa0±xa00.4xa0%. The pharmacokinetic profiles in the rats revealed that the DPs increased the oral BA of RES from 0.9xa0±xa00.1 to 10.5xa0±xa00.9xa0%; this represented an approximately 12-fold increase in absorption.ConclusionsOur results indicated that the DP formulation improves the dissolution and oral BA of RES. Thus, this could be an effective and practical technique for food and pharmaceutical applications.

Angelica sinensis Improves Exercise Performance and Protects against Physical Fatigue in Trained Mice

Angelica sinensis (AS) is a well-known medicinal herb and food material with antioxidative and multifunctional pharmacological activities. However, we lack evidence of the effect of AS on exercise performance and physical fatigue. We aimed to evaluate the potential beneficial effect of AS on ergogenic and anti-fatigue functions after physiological challenge. Male ICR strain mice were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10 per group) for treatment: (1) sedentary control and vehicle treatment (vehicle control); (2) exercise training with vehicle treatment (exercise control); (3) exercise training with AS treatment at 0.41 g/kg/day (Ex-AS1); and (4) 2.05 g/kg/day (Ex-AS5); both the vehicle and AS were orally administered for 6 weeks. Exercise performance and anti-fatigue function were evaluated by forelimb grip strength, exhaustive swimming time, and levels of serum lactate, ammonia, glucose, and creatine kinase (CK) after a 15-min swimming exercise. Trend analysis revealed that AS treatments significantly increased endurance swimming time and blood glucose level, and decreased serum lactate, ammonia and CK levels. Liver and muscle glycogen contents were higher for Ex-AS1 and Ex-AS5 groups than the exercise control. Therefore, AS supplementation improved exercise performance and had anti-fatigue properties in mice and may be an effective ergogenic aid in exercise training.

Effects of combined extract of cocoa, coffee, green tea and garcinia on lipid profiles, glycaemic markers and inflammatory responses in hamsters.

BackgroundDyslipidaemia is highly associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which have been ranked second and third place of leading causes of death in Taiwan. Some plant extracts have been proved effective against dyslipidaemia. However, the combination of plant extracts was rarely studied. The purpose of the present study is to understand the beneficial effects of a combined extract (comprising cocoa, coffee, green tea and garcinia; CCGG) on lipid profiles in serum, liver, and faeces as well as glycaemic markers and related proinflammatory cytokines by using an appropriate animal model, the golden Syrian hamster.MethodsA total of 40 male hamsters were randomly assigned to five groups: (1) vehicle control, (2) high-cholesterol diet control, (3) high-cholesterol diet of 311xa0mg/kg/d of CCGG, (4) high-cholesterol diet of 622xa0mg/kg/d of CCGG and (5) high-cholesterol diet of 1555xa0mg/kg/d of CCGG. At the end of the experiment, blood, tissue and faecal samples were collected for further analysis.ResultsAfter 6 weeks of treatment, CCGG supplementation significantly reduced serum lipid content (triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL-C) and hepatic lipid content (triglycerides and cholesterol) with dose-dependent effects. In addition, an increase in excretion of faecal lipids (bile acids) was observed after supplementation. Furthermore, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index and serum proinflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-α and IL-6) involved in dyslipidaemia was markedly improved. In addition, by monitoring biochemical parameters as well as histopathology of major tissues, no toxicity was observed after the consumption of CCGG.ConclusionDietary CCGG supplementation may exert potential effects on ameliorating hyperlipidaemia, insulin resistance, liver steatosis and related inflammation.

Determination of Raloxifene in Urine by Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Doping

Raloxifene is one of the selective estrogen receptor modulators and is often used to prevent and treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Because of the indirect impact on serum testosterone levels and the potential ability for performance enhancement, it is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This study established a fast, sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method to quantify total raloxifene (unchanged and glucuronidated) in human urine for doping analysis. Urines from six healthy volunteers were collected 240 h after taking a single dose of raloxifene. The concentrations of urinary raloxifene were analyzed by the established method after sample preparation, including hydrolysis with β-glucuronidase. The lowest limit of quantification was 0.5 ng/mL. Linearity was observed for raloxifene concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 100 ng/mL, with a correlation coefficient of 0.999. The recoveries were >92.81%. Inaccuracies were below ±5%, and precisions varied from 2.18 to 5.37%. The results showed that urinary raloxifene was immediately detectable within 4 h after the administration of only a single dose of raloxifene. Such a result indicates a violation of the WADA rules. Furthermore, ingesting raloxifene would be detectable after 6 days in the urine of males or >10 days in the urine of female.

Determination of cannabinoids in hemp nut products in Taiwan by HPLC-MS/MS coupled with chemometric analysis: quality evaluation and a pilot human study.

Hemp nuts are mature cannabis seeds obtained after shelling and that are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating functional constipation. In this work, we screened hemp nut products, classified them, and verified the legality of consuming them. A total of 18 products were purchased from Taiwan, China, and Canada. Validated high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry methods were developed for analyzing the cannabinoid (i.e., Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabinol) content of the products and the concentration of urinary 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC. Chemometric techniques, namely hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), were applied for rapidly classifying 11 concentrated powder products in Taiwan. A pilot human study comprising single and multiple administrations of a product with 1.5u2009µg/g of THC was conducted to examine the urinary 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC concentration. Through optimization of 32 full factorial design, using 60% isopropanol as the extraction solvent exhibited the highest yield of cannabinoids and was applied as the optimal condition in further analysis. The results of HCA and PCA on quality evaluation were in good agreement; however, the tested products possessed distinct CBD-to-THC ratios which ranged widely from 0.1:1 to 46.8:1. Particularly, the products with CBD-to-THC ratios higher than 1:1 were the majority in Taiwan. Our data suggested that all the tested hemp nut products met the Taiwan restriction criterion of 10u2009µg/g of THC. We propose a usual consumption amount of hemp nut products in Taiwan would unlikely to violate the cut-off point of 15u2009ng/mL of urinary 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC. Copyright

Acute Garcinia mangostana (mangosteen) supplementation does not alleviate physical fatigue during exercise: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.

BackgroundThe purple mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), known as the queen of fruit, is widely consumed and unique not only because of its outstanding appearance and flavor but also its remarkable and diverse pharmacological effects. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of acute mangosteen supplementation on physical fatigue during exercise.MethodsA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study was carried out by 12 healthy adults. The participants were randomly assigned to receive acute oral administration of either 250xa0mL of the mangosteen-based juice (supplementation treatment; 305xa0mg of α-mangostin and 278xa0mg of hydroxycitric acid) or a placebo (control treatment) 1xa0h before cycle ergometer exercise. Time to exhaustion, heart rate, Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion score, blood biochemical markers (namely ammonia, cortisol, creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, glucose, and lactate), muscle dynamic stiffness, and Profile of Mood States (POMS) were evaluated and recorded.ResultsThe results showed all parameters we examined were significantly altered by the exercise challenge, which demonstrated they directly reflected the condition of fatigue. However, there were no differences between the two treatments besides a positive impact on the POMS examination.ConclusionsThe occurrence of physical fatigue depends on multiple underlying mechanisms. We concluded that acute mangosteen supplementation had no impact on alleviating physical fatigue during exercise.

Protective effects of the roots of Angelica sinensis on strenuous exercise-induced sports anemia in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCEnSports anemia is a persistent and severe problem in athletes owing to strenuous exercise-induced oxidative stress and hepcidin upregulation. The roots of Angelica sinensis (AS), a familiar traditional Chinese medicine, has been used for replenishing blood since antiquity.nnnAIM OF THE STUDYnTo evaluate the effects of ethanolic AS extract in a 4-week study on sports anemia in female Wistar rats.nnnMATERIALS AND METHODSnTo induce anemia, a strenuous exercise protocol consisting of running and swimming was employed with increasing intensity. Animals were randomly assigned to the following groups: control group; strenuous exercise group; and strenuous exercise and AS extract-treated group (300mgkg-1d-1). After 4 weeks, rats underwent exhaustive swimming and forelimb grip strength test. The blood biochemical markers and hepatic antioxidant activities were determined. Hepatic interleukin-6 and muscle glycogen were observed through immunohistochemical and Periodic acid-Schiff staining, respectively.nnnRESULTSnAS extract (consisting of ferulic acid, Z-ligustilide, and n-butylidenephthalide) treatment improved forelimb grip strength and rescued exercise-induced anemia by significantly elevating the red blood cell counts and hemoglobin concentrations as well as hematocrit levels (p<0.05). AS modulated the iron metabolism through decreasing serum hepcidin-25 concentrations by 33.0% (p<0.05) and increasing serum iron levels by 34.3% (p<0.01). The hepatic injury marker serum alanine aminotransferase concentrations were also reduced, followed by increased antioxidant enzyme catalase expression in the liver (p<0.05). Furthermore, substantial attenuation of hepatic interleukin-6 expression and preservation of muscle glycogen content suggested the additional roles of AS acting on sports anemia and physical performance.nnnCONCLUSIONnOur findings evidenced a novel and promising therapeutic approach for AS treatment for rescuing the anemic condition induced following 4 weeks of strenuous exercise.

Cornu cervi pantotrichum supplementation improves physiological adaptions during intensive endurance training

Cornu cervi pantotrichum (CCP), used in traditional Chinese medicine, is a well-known yang-invigorating agent with multifunctional bioactivities. We previously showed, through an acute exercise challenge, that short-term CCP supplementation improved physical activities and fatigue-associated biochemical indices. Questions about the long-term effects of CCP treatment on exercise performance and physical fatigue, as well as safety, with intensive exercise training need further research. ICR-strain mice were randomly assigned to three groups: (1) sedentary control and vehicle treatment (SC); (2) exercise training with vehicle treatment (ET); and (3) ET with CCP treatment at 4,108 mg/kg/day (ET+CCP). We assessed the physical performance, body compositions, and serum levels of lactate, ammonia, glucose and creatine kinase (CK) after an acute exercise challenge. The ET and ET+CCP groups had significantly increased grip strength and endurance swimming time, and decreased serum lactate and ammonia levels after the acute exercise challenge than the SC group. Moreover, serum ammonia and CK levels in the ET+CCP group were significantly decreased when compared to that of the ET only group. In regard to the body composition, the ET+CCP group inhibits the decrease in fat tissue, and related biochemical changes induced by the high intensity endurance training CCP supplementation combined with high-intensity endurance exercise could significantly improve the physiological adaptions related to fatigue or energy consumption and maintain the fat composition when compared to treatment with training only. Therefore, CCP may potentially improve the physiological adaptions in intensive exercise training.