Antifatigue,Antioxidant and Immunoregulatory Effects of Peptides Hydrolyzed from Manchurian Walnut(Juglans mandshurica Maxim.) on Mice

The Manchurian walnut(Juglans mandshurica Maxim.) is rich in proteins, whereas this resource has not been used efficiently. The antifatigue, antioxidative and immunoregulatory effects of Manchurian walnut hydrolysate peptides(MWHPs)were evaluated in this study. MWHPs with a degree of hydrolysis of 32.23% were ultrafiltered and divided into three fractions,namely, high(> 10 k Da), medium(3–10 kDa), and low molecular weight(< 3 kDa), and then fed to mice continuously at doses of 200, 400 or 800 mg/(kg·d). The antifatigue, antioxidative, and immunoregulatory effects of the peptides were tested on the second and fourth weeks of MWHP administration. Results showed that low-molecular-weight MWHPs exerted significant antifatigue(prolonging swimming time, elevating liver glycogen contents, and reducing lactic acid contents), antioxidative(enhancing superoxide dismutase(SOD), GSH-Px, and catalase(CAT) activities and reducing malondialdehyde(MDA) content), and immunoregulatory(raising the immune-organ index and promoting T-lymphocyte proliferation and s Ig A secretion in the intestinal tract) effects. This research indicates that MWHPs have potential applications in health care and may be developed as a base for new functional foods.

Antifatigue effects of peptide isolated from sheep placenta

Objective: Fatigue has become one of the major threats to human health in the 21 st century. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), which proved to be safer and more effective, has become a hot spot in antifatigue research. Human placenta, also called "Ziheche", has drawn great attention in the antifatigue effect since the Tang dynasty. However, the shortage of human placenta restricts wide usage of it. According to the theory of TCM, sheep placenta(SP) also has the effect of nourishing blood, tranquilization, nourishing skin, and prolongation of life. The aim of this study was to examine the antifatigue effects of sheep placenta peptide(SPP), an extract of sheep placenta, in mice and the mechanism was also studied.Methods: Peptide from fresh SP was extracted via enzymolysis. SPP(0.13 g/kg) and soybean peptide(0.65 g/kg) were administrated orally and daily to mice for four weeks. Antifatigue effects of SPP were estimated on weight-loaded swimming test; A non-weight-loaded swimming test was conducted to elucidate underlying the mechanisms of the anti-fatigue effects.Results: Administration of SPP prolonged the weight-loaded swimming time in mice. In addition, SPP significantly decreased the levels of muscle malondialdehyde(MDA) and serum lactic acid(LD), and increased the activities of muscle glutathione peroxidase(GSH), and superoxide dismutase(SOD) and liver glycogen in mice after non-weight-loaded swimming test. Moreover, the electron microscope observation showed that the muscle fiber bundle ranked neatly, the H band, I band, Z line as well as M line were clear and the numbers of mitochondria was normal though some of the mitochondria were swell in SPP treated mice after non-weight-loaded swimming test.Conclusion: SPP possesses potent abilities for antifatigue; Increasing the anti-oxidant activities and energy reserve as well as improving the ultrastructures in gastrocnemius muscle cells, which may be the mechanisms of SPP exerting its antifatigue effects.

Effect of yellow rice wine on anti-aging ability in aged mice induced by D-galactose

The present study is focused on investigation of the health protective effect of yellow rice wine(YRW)in mice and the potential underlying mechanism.Symptoms of aging were induced in mice by using Dgalactose(D-gal),and different doses of YRW(4,8,and 12 mL/kg BW)were orally administrated to D-galtreated mice for a period of six weeks.The in vivo data obtained in the present study preliminary indicated that YRW markedly increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes and reduced the concentration of MDA both in the brain and liver.Furthermore,a forced swim test showed that moderate intake of YRW(8 mL/kg BW)significantly decreased the duration of immobility,reduced the blood content of urea nitrogen and lactic acid,and increased hepatic glycogen storage.Besides,results from the Morris water maze test suggested that YRW significantly reversed cognitive impairment and also alleviated neuroapoptosis in the experimental mice by regulating the gene expressions of Bax/Bcl-2 and caspase-3.The above results indicated YRW has a potential anti-aging effect in mice and provided us certain molecular evidence for this action.

Ergogenic Capacity of a 7-Chinese Traditional Medicine Extract in Aged Mice

The ergogenic properties of a 7-Chinese traditional medicine water extract (Ligustrum lucidum ait, LLA), which is composed of the essences of Lycii fructus, Crataegi fructus, Phyllanthi fructus, Chrysanthemi flos, Coicis semen, Ganoderma lucidum, and Zizyphi fructus, were studied using aged mice. Mice were chronically (one month) administered LLA (0.1% and 1%) in the drinking water. Mice pre-treated with LLA showed a good appetite;however, they exhibited a lower rate of body weight increase compared to control mice. In mice subjected to the rotarod test, 1% LLA treatment provided effective adaption to fatigue and significantly increased the duration of mice on the rotarod. In locomotor activity test, 1% LLA potentiated mice mobility and significantly increased rearing behavior. In the antioxidant experiment, 1% LLA treatment significantly increased superoxide dismutase activity in the spleen and liver glutathione levels. These findings suggest that LLA may be utilized as an antifatigue agent, which may function through its antioxidant activity.