ABSTRACT
Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, the root of an Araliaceae plant has been shown to possess various biological effects. Ginseng treatment (100 mg kg(-1)) protected muscles from eccentric exercise injuries. It was effective in preserving mitochondrial membrane integrity and reduced nitrate concentration in vastus and rectus (46% and 26%, respectively). It also reduced carbonyl contents by approximately 27% in all the muscles studied.
Subject(s)
Muscle, Skeletal/drug effects , Nitric Oxide/biosynthesis , Panax , Physical Conditioning, Animal/adverse effects , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Animals , Male , Mitochondria, Muscle/drug effects , Mitochondria, Muscle/metabolism , Muscle Proteins/drug effects , Muscle Proteins/metabolism , Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism , Plant Extracts/isolation & purification , Plant Roots , Rats , Rats, WistarABSTRACT
Enzymatic activity was analyzed in the soleus, gastrocnemius (red and white) and plantaris muscles of acutely exercised rats after long-term administration of Panax ginseng extract in order to evaluate the protective role of ginseng against skeletal muscle oxidation. Ginseng extract (3, 10, 100, or 500 mg/kg) was administered orally for three months to male Wistar rats weighing 200 ± 50 g before exercise and to non-exercised rats (N = 8/group). The results showed a membrane stabilizing capacity of the extract since mitochondrial function measured on the basis of citrate synthase and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activities was reduced, on average, by 20 percent (P < 0.05) after exercise but the activities remained unchanged in animals treated with a ginseng dose of 100 mg/kg. Glutathione status did not show significant changes after exercise or treatment. Lipid peroxidation, measured on the basis of malondialdehyde levels, was significantly higher in all muscles after exercise, and again was reduced by about 74 percent (P < 0.05) by the use of ginseng extract. The administration of ginseng extract was able to protect muscle from exercise-induced oxidative stress irrespective of fiber type.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Lipid Peroxidation/drug effects , Mitochondria, Muscle/drug effects , Muscle, Skeletal/drug effects , Oxidative Stress/drug effects , Physical Conditioning, Animal , Panax/chemistry , /metabolism , Antioxidants/administration & dosage , Citrate (si)-Synthase/metabolism , Glutathione/drug effects , Glutathione/metabolism , Malondialdehyde/analysis , Mitochondria, Muscle/metabolism , Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Rats, Wistar , Superoxide Dismutase/metabolismABSTRACT
Enzymatic activity was analyzed in the soleus, gastrocnemius (red and white) and plantaris muscles of acutely exercised rats after long-term administration of Panax ginseng extract in order to evaluate the protective role of ginseng against skeletal muscle oxidation. Ginseng extract (3, 10, 100, or 500 mg/kg) was administered orally for three months to male Wistar rats weighing 200 +/- 50 g before exercise and to non-exercised rats (N = 8/group). The results showed a membrane stabilizing capacity of the extract since mitochondrial function measured on the basis of citrate synthase and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activities was reduced, on average, by 20% (P < 0.05) after exercise but the activities remained unchanged in animals treated with a ginseng dose of 100 mg/kg. Glutathione status did not show significant changes after exercise or treatment. Lipid peroxidation, measured on the basis of malondialdehyde levels, was significantly higher in all muscles after exercise, and again was reduced by about 74% (P < 0.05) by the use of ginseng extract. The administration of ginseng extract was able to protect muscle from exercise-induced oxidative stress irrespective of fiber type.