Experimental research of the anti-fatigue effect of Sipunculus nudus L polysaccharide and Shenqihuo granules on mice following simulated high intensive training

Abstract

Objective To study the anti-fatigue effect of Sipunculus nudus L polysaccharide and Shenqihuo granules on mice following simulated high intensive training and possible mechanism involved. Methods Eighty Kunming mice were randomly and equally divided into 4 groups, i. e. the control group, the Sipunculus nudus L polysaccharide group, the Shenqihuo granule group and the combination group. Twenty-eight days after oral administration of drugs, the time of swimming exhaustion, the changes in the levels of serum lactic acid, urea nitrogen and hepatic glycogen were closely monitored in the weight-loaded swimming mice. Results No statistically significant differences were found in body weight, when comparisons were made between the medication groups and the control group (P>0.05). Medication could significantly prolong swimming duration of the weight-loaded mice (P>0.05), with the extension rate of the combination group being most significantly longer. The extension rates of the Sipunculus nudus L polysaccharide group, the Shenqihuo granule group and the combination group increased by 41%, 47% and 55% respectively. After exercise, serum lactic acid of the medication groups was quickly eliminated, and the elimination rates of the Sipunculus nudus L polysaccharide group, the Shenqihuo granule group and the combination group were respectively 102.6±2.2, 126.3±3.3, 128.2±1.8 μmol/(L·min), as compared with that of the control group [(42.0±3.3 μmol/(L·min)]. The lactic acid elimination rate of the combination group was about 3 times higher than that of the control group. Compared with the control group, the levels of hepatic glycogen increased and the levels of urea nitrogen decreased in all the medication groups, with the effects on the medication group being most significant(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion Sipunculus nudus L polysaccharide combined with Shenqihuo granules could obviously alleviate exercise fatigue and it might be a promising compound preparation for anti-fatigue. Key words: Sipunculus nudus L; Shenqihuo granule; Polysaccharide; Anti-fatigue effect