title: North American ginseng protects against muscle damage and reduces neutrophil infiltration after an acute bout of downhill running in rats.
abstract: Eccentric muscle contractions such as those experienced during downhill running are associated with inflammation, delayed-onset of muscle soreness, myofiber damage, and various functional deficits. North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory properties and thus may offset some of this exercise-induced damage. Hence, we tested the hypothesis that intervention with North American ginseng would reduce eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage and inflammation. Male Wistar rats were fed (300 mg/(kg·day)(-1)) of either an alcohol (AL) or aqueous (AQ) extract of North American ginseng for 14 days before a single bout of downhill running and were compared with matching nonexercised (C) groups. Plasma creatine kinase levels were significantly reduced in both ginseng treated groups compared with the C group that received a water placebo (p < 0.002). Further, the AQ but not AL group also showed attenuated morphological signs of damage (hemotoxylin and eosin) as well as reduced levels of infiltrating neutrophils (HIS48) in the soleus muscle (p < 0.001). In summary, supplementation with an AQ but not AL extract of North American ginseng was able to reduce eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage and inflammation.
authors.affiliation: a School of Kinesiology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada.
authors.forename: Mehrbod
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Estaki
authors.forename: Earl G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Noble
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS); D006416:Hematoxylin; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020556:Neutrophil Infiltration / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005894:Panax; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS); D006416:Hematoxylin
keywords: Panax quinquefolius; creatine kinase; créatine kinase; exercice physique; exercise; inflammation; myofiber; myofibre