Obesity has been found to be associated with increased incidence of various metabolic disorders. Anti-obesity interventions are therefore urgently needed. An earlier study has demonstrated that treatment with an herba...Obesity has been found to be associated with increased incidence of various metabolic disorders. Anti-obesity interventions are therefore urgently needed. An earlier study has demonstrated that treatment with an herbal formula MCC, which comprises the fruit of Momordica charantia (MC), the pericarpium of Citri reticulate (CR) and L-carnitine (CA), reduced the weight gain in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. In the present study, we investigated the effect of long-term treatment with MCC (6 g/kg/day × 40 doses) and various combinations of its constituents in HFD-fed female ICR mice. Body weight change was monitored during the course of the experiment. Total and differential adiposity, plasma lipid contents, metabolic enzyme activities and mitochondrial coupling efficiency in skeletal muscle were measured. Glucose homeostasis was also assessed. Results showed that HFD increased the body weight, total and differential adiposity, and plasma lipid contents as well as impaired metabolic status in skeletal muscle and glucose homeostasis. MCC and all combinations of its constituents reduced the weight gain in HFD-fed mice, which was accompanied with an improvement on glucose homeostasis. While MC, CA and CR independently suppressed the HFD-induced weight gain in mice, MC seems to be the most effective in weight reduction, all of which correlated with the induction of mitochondrial uncoupling in skeletal muscle. Only CA and CR, but not MC, significantly reduced the total adiposity and visceral adiposity as well as plasma cholesterol level. However, the two component combinations, MC + CR and MC + CA, decreased the degree of visceral adiposity and plasma cholesterol level, respectively. MCC treatment at 1.5 g/kg (but not a higher dose of 6 g/kg) suppressed visceral adiposity and induced mitochondrial uncoupling in skeletal muscle in HFD-fed mice. The finding suggests that MCC may offer a promising prospect for ameliorating the diet-induced obesity and metabolic disorders in humans.展开更多
Fatigue is a self-limiting response arising from physical and/or mental weariness, with a consequent personal and economic morbidity on work performance and social relationships. Anti-fatigue intervention is therefore...Fatigue is a self-limiting response arising from physical and/or mental weariness, with a consequent personal and economic morbidity on work performance and social relationships. Anti-fatigue intervention is therefore urgently sought. “Qi-invigorating” Chinese tonic herbs, which can improve the energy status in the body according to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, may produce beneficial effects in fatigue individuals. The herbal formula V-Vital capsule (VVC), which comprises 3 “Qi-invigorating” herbs, namely the root of Rhodiola rosea, Eleutherococcus senticosus and Panax quinquefolium, may produce anti-fatigue effect. In the present study, we investigated the effect of acute/long-term VVC treatment (acute: 0.75, 0.2 and 3.75 kg/day × 1 dose;long-term: 0.075 and 0.25 g/kg/day × 14 doses) on weight-loaded swimming female ICR mice. The weight-loaded swimming time until exhaustion, indicative of exercise endurance capacity, was recorded. Plasma levels of glucose, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), lactate and reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) were measured in the exhausted mice. Glycogen levels in skeletal muscle and liver tissues were also measured. Mitochondrial function status [such as adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) activity and coupling efficiency] was assayed. Results showed that acute VVC treatment increased the exercise endurance capacity in weight-loaded swimming mice. The ability of acute VVC treatment to enhance the exercise endurance was associated with increases in plasma glucose levels as well as glycogen levels in skeletal muscles and liver tissues, presumably due to the utilization of plasma lactate for gluconeogenesis and/or glycogen synthesis in the liver. While acute VVC treatment reduced the plasma ROM level in weight-loaded swimming mice, it increased the ANT activity. In this regard, the enhancement in exercise endurance afforded by acute VVC treatment might be due to an increase in the glucose supply to the skeletal muscle, the amelioration of systemic oxidative stress and the improvement in mitochondrial function of skeletal muscle. Consistent with the results obtained in acute VVC treatment experiment, the long-term VVC treatment enhances the exercise endurance in weight-loaded swimming mice. The ensemble of results suggests that VVC may offer a promising prospect for enhancing the exercise endurance and alleviating fatigue in humans.展开更多
文摘Obesity has been found to be associated with increased incidence of various metabolic disorders. Anti-obesity interventions are therefore urgently needed. An earlier study has demonstrated that treatment with an herbal formula MCC, which comprises the fruit of Momordica charantia (MC), the pericarpium of Citri reticulate (CR) and L-carnitine (CA), reduced the weight gain in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. In the present study, we investigated the effect of long-term treatment with MCC (6 g/kg/day × 40 doses) and various combinations of its constituents in HFD-fed female ICR mice. Body weight change was monitored during the course of the experiment. Total and differential adiposity, plasma lipid contents, metabolic enzyme activities and mitochondrial coupling efficiency in skeletal muscle were measured. Glucose homeostasis was also assessed. Results showed that HFD increased the body weight, total and differential adiposity, and plasma lipid contents as well as impaired metabolic status in skeletal muscle and glucose homeostasis. MCC and all combinations of its constituents reduced the weight gain in HFD-fed mice, which was accompanied with an improvement on glucose homeostasis. While MC, CA and CR independently suppressed the HFD-induced weight gain in mice, MC seems to be the most effective in weight reduction, all of which correlated with the induction of mitochondrial uncoupling in skeletal muscle. Only CA and CR, but not MC, significantly reduced the total adiposity and visceral adiposity as well as plasma cholesterol level. However, the two component combinations, MC + CR and MC + CA, decreased the degree of visceral adiposity and plasma cholesterol level, respectively. MCC treatment at 1.5 g/kg (but not a higher dose of 6 g/kg) suppressed visceral adiposity and induced mitochondrial uncoupling in skeletal muscle in HFD-fed mice. The finding suggests that MCC may offer a promising prospect for ameliorating the diet-induced obesity and metabolic disorders in humans.
文摘Fatigue is a self-limiting response arising from physical and/or mental weariness, with a consequent personal and economic morbidity on work performance and social relationships. Anti-fatigue intervention is therefore urgently sought. “Qi-invigorating” Chinese tonic herbs, which can improve the energy status in the body according to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, may produce beneficial effects in fatigue individuals. The herbal formula V-Vital capsule (VVC), which comprises 3 “Qi-invigorating” herbs, namely the root of Rhodiola rosea, Eleutherococcus senticosus and Panax quinquefolium, may produce anti-fatigue effect. In the present study, we investigated the effect of acute/long-term VVC treatment (acute: 0.75, 0.2 and 3.75 kg/day × 1 dose;long-term: 0.075 and 0.25 g/kg/day × 14 doses) on weight-loaded swimming female ICR mice. The weight-loaded swimming time until exhaustion, indicative of exercise endurance capacity, was recorded. Plasma levels of glucose, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), lactate and reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) were measured in the exhausted mice. Glycogen levels in skeletal muscle and liver tissues were also measured. Mitochondrial function status [such as adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) activity and coupling efficiency] was assayed. Results showed that acute VVC treatment increased the exercise endurance capacity in weight-loaded swimming mice. The ability of acute VVC treatment to enhance the exercise endurance was associated with increases in plasma glucose levels as well as glycogen levels in skeletal muscles and liver tissues, presumably due to the utilization of plasma lactate for gluconeogenesis and/or glycogen synthesis in the liver. While acute VVC treatment reduced the plasma ROM level in weight-loaded swimming mice, it increased the ANT activity. In this regard, the enhancement in exercise endurance afforded by acute VVC treatment might be due to an increase in the glucose supply to the skeletal muscle, the amelioration of systemic oxidative stress and the improvement in mitochondrial function of skeletal muscle. Consistent with the results obtained in acute VVC treatment experiment, the long-term VVC treatment enhances the exercise endurance in weight-loaded swimming mice. The ensemble of results suggests that VVC may offer a promising prospect for enhancing the exercise endurance and alleviating fatigue in humans.
