• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.151-155
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• 2005

This study was intended to investigate the effects of regular swimming exercise and vitamin C supplementation on the antioxidant system following exercise stress. For the swimming exercise experiment, a swimming adaptation exercise of 1 week was given to a group of 6-week-old mice. Following this, a swimming exercise for 8 weeks was conducted. The experimental group was divided into 3: a control group (C), a swimming exercise trained group (T), and a group of swimming + vitamin C supplementation (TC: vitamin supplementation: 1.3 mg/l00 g diet). After the swimming exercise, these group were further divided into those that had received the exercise stress for 2 hours and those that had not experienced exercise stress group. Then, the activities of the superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were measured. There was a lower weight increase in the T and TC groups than in the C group, and there was no significant difference between T and TC group. When exercise stress was not experienced, the activity of SOD was significantly increased in the TC group than in the T group, but there was no significant difference between C and T groups. The groups that had experienced a 2-hour exercise stress showed the SOD activity levels according to the following order, C < T < TC, with a significant difference between the three groups (p<0.05). There was no difference in MDA concentration amongst the experimental groups in non-exercise stress group. As well, there was no differences in MDA concentration between the C group and T group in the 2 hour exercise stress group. However, the TC group showed a MDA concentration level significantly lower than that of the T group. A significant increase in MDA concentration was observed in C group, when exercise stress was provided with no significant difference in the T and TC groups. As a result, regular exercise and vitamin C supplementation can be considered important in controlling the formation of lipid peroxides in exercise stress.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.271-280
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• 2018

Background: Astragalus membranaceus is a well known oriental medicinal herb. The polysaccharides of the aboveground parts (AMA) and the radix (AMR) of A. membranaceus are the most important functional constituents. Methods and Results: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of AMA and AMR on the oxidative damage induced in the skeletal muscle of rats subjected to exhaustive exercise. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into exercise and non-exercise groups; in the groups receiving the test compounds, AMA and AMR were administered orally for 30 days. Skeletal muscle samples were collected from each rat after running to exhaustion on a treadmill to determine the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) and the concentation of malondialdehyde (MDA). The antioxidant enzyme activities of SOD and GSH-Px of skeletal muscle of AMA- and AMR-treated groups were significantly higher than those of the control and commercial sports drink (SPD)-treated groups in exhaustive exercise rats. In addition, MDA concentrations in the skeletal muscle of the AMA- and AMR-treated groups were significantly lower than those of the control and SPD-treated groups. In the present study, the effects of AMA and AMR on exercise endurance capacity were also evaluated in mice subjected to a swimming exercise test. AMA and AMR supplementation prolonged the swimming time of mice and enhanced exercise endurance capacity. AMA and AMR possess the ability to retard and lower the production of blood lactate, and prevent the decrease of serum blood glucose. Conclusions: These results showed that, AMR and AMA exerted beneficial effect in mice, increasing the activity of the antioxidant systems and inhibiting oxidative stress induced by exhaustive exercise. The compounds improved exercise performance and showed anti-fatigue effects against exhaustive exercise.