Antifatigue and Antioxidant Activity of Alcoholic Extract from Saussurea involucrata.
Fatigue is a noticeable and highly prevalent symptom in tense, industriously, and economically affluent modern society. Therefore, new antifatigue agents to smooth the fatigue feature are an energetic topic. The total ethanol extract (ESI) of Saussurea involucrata Kar et Kir., known as Tian-Shan snow lotus, was evaluated for antifatigue activity in ICR mice with mice forced swimming test and the determination of the contents of blood lactic acid and serum urea nitrogen. ESI (0.05, 0.15, 0.25 g/kg) was administered orally to mice for 4 weeks. The average swimming times to exhaustion of the ESI-treated ICR mice (0.15, 0.25 g/kg) were prolonged by 132% and 180% (p<0.001) with a lessening of fatigue compared with that of the control group. Analysis of biochemical parameters showed that levels of serum urea nitrogen and blood lactic acid of experimental groups were also decreased significantly (p<0.001) compared with that of the control group. The antioxidant activity of ESI was investigated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging assay and the hydrogen peroxide-induced luminol chemiluminescence assay and the results indicated that ESI exerts DPPH scavenging ability and reducing power. These results provide scientific evidence that S. involucrata may have been potential as an antifatigue agent.
School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Jang-Chang
JC
Lee
Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Jung-Yie
JY
Kao
Department of Pharmacy and Graduate Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology, College of Pharmacy and Health Care, Tajen University, Pingtung, Taiwan.
Daih-Huang
DH
Kuo
School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Chien-Fu
CF
Liao
Taiwan Advance Biopharm, Inc., Xizhi City, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chi-Hung
CH
Huang
Department of Biological Science and Technology, College of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Ling-Ling
LL
Fan
Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan ; Department of Biological Science and Technology, College of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Tzong-Der
TD
Way
Chinese medicinal herb; Saussurea involucrate; blood lactic acid; forced swimming test; serum urea nitrogen