William Chih-Wei Chang1, Ching-Chi Yen1, Chao-Pei Cheng1, Yu-Tse Wu1,2,3, Mei-Chich Hsu3,4,5. 1. School of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 2. Drug Development and Value Creation Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 3. Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 4. Department of Sports Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 5. Substance and Behavior Addiction Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Abstract
Context: Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), one of the popular Danggui (DG) decoctions, has traditionally been used to nourish 'qi' (vital energy) and enrich 'blood' (body circulation). DBT may possess performance-enhancing effects.Objective: This work determines whether DBT can improve physical capacity and alter energy expenditure under exercise training.Materials and methods: Forty male Wistar rats were assigned to four groups: sedentary (SE), exercise training (ET), ET supplemented with 0.3 g/kg rat/d DG extract, and ET supplemented with 1.8 g/kg rat/d DBT extract. The supplementations were administered via oral gavage. During the 21-day treatment period, the exercised groups were subjected to a protocol of swimming training with a gradually increased load. Physical performance evaluation was assessed using the forelimb grip strength test and an exhaustive swimming test. Muscle glycogen contents and exercise-related biochemical parameters were analysed. Results: Both herbal supplementations remarkably increased the grip strength (DG by 49.7% and DBT by 85.7%) and prolonged the swimming time (DG by 48.4% and DBT by 72.7%) compared with SE. DBT spared a certain amount of glycogen in the muscle cells under exercise training. Regarding the regulation of fuel usage, DBT had a positive impact alongside ET on promoting aerobic glycolysis via significantly decreasing serum lactate by 31.6% and lactic dehydrogenase levels by 61.8%.Conclusions: This study found that DBT could be considered a promising sports ergogenic aid for athletic population or fitness enthusiasts. Future work focussing on isolating the bioactive components that truly provide the ergogenic effects would be of interest.
Context: Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), one of the popular Danggui (DG) decoctions, has traditionally been used to nourish 'qi' (vital energy) and enrich 'blood' (body circulation). DBT may possess performance-enhancing effects.Objective: This work determines whether DBT can improve physical capacity and alter energy expenditure under exercise training.Materials and methods: Forty male Wistar rats were assigned to four groups: sedentary (SE), exercise training (ET), ET supplemented with 0.3 g/kg rat/d DG extract, and ET supplemented with 1.8 g/kg rat/d DBT extract. The supplementations were administered via oral gavage. During the 21-day treatment period, the exercised groups were subjected to a protocol of swimming training with a gradually increased load. Physical performance evaluation was assessed using the forelimb grip strength test and an exhaustive swimming test. Muscle glycogen contents and exercise-related biochemical parameters were analysed. Results: Both herbal supplementations remarkably increased the grip strength (DG by 49.7% and DBT by 85.7%) and prolonged the swimming time (DG by 48.4% and DBT by 72.7%) compared with SE. DBT spared a certain amount of glycogen in the muscle cells under exercise training. Regarding the regulation of fuel usage, DBT had a positive impact alongside ET on promoting aerobic glycolysis via significantly decreasing serum lactate by 31.6% and lactic dehydrogenase levels by 61.8%.Conclusions: This study found that DBT could be considered a promising sports ergogenic aid for athletic population or fitness enthusiasts. Future work focussing on isolating the bioactive components that truly provide the ergogenic effects would be of interest.
Entities:
Keywords:
Angelica sinensis; Traditional Chinese medicine; ergogenic aid; exercise; nutritional supplement; sports nutrition
Authors: Kenneth K L Kwan; Tin Yan Wong; Anna X D Yu; Tina T X Dong; Henry H N Lam; Karl W K Tsim Journal: Front Pharmacol Date: 2021-06-23 Impact factor: 5.810