title: Lignans-rich extract from Herpetospermum caudigerum alleviate physical fatigue in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain anti-fatigue constituents and mechanisms of Herpetospermum caudigerum.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 80% ethanol extracts of Herpetospermum caudigerum were partitioned with chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol, respectively. Male Kunming mice were divided into 13 groups with 16 mice in each group: a control group fed with water, 9 groups treated with 3 fractions of Herpetospermum caudigerum (chloroform fraction, ethyl acetate fraction and n-butanol fraction) at dose of 80, 160 and 320 mg/kg for the low-dose group, medium-dose group and high-dose group, 3 herpetrione (HPE) treated groups fed with HPE at dose of 15, 30, and 60 mg/kg for the low-dose group, medium-dose group and high-dose group. All animals were treated once per day for 30 days. Anti-fatigue activity was assessed through the forced swimming test and serum biochemical parameters including blood lactic acid (BLA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), malondialdehyde (MDA), hepatic glycogen (HG), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) determined following the recommended procedures provided by the commercial kits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the control group, the lignans extract (ethyl acetate fraction) of Herpetospermum caudigerum and HPE could signifificantly prolonged the exhaustive swimming time (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and also increased the HG levels (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPx and LDH, P<0.05 or P<0.01); BLA and MDA levels were decreased considerably in lignans extract and HPE treated groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01). HPE also could significantly decrease the BUN contents compared with the control group (P<0.05). The chloroform and n-butanol fraction showed no effect on swimming time and biochemical parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lignans extract had antifatigue activities and HPE may be partly responsible for the anti-fatigue effects of Herpetospermum caudigerum. The possible mechanisms of anti-fatigue activity were related to the decrease of BUN and BLA, the increase of the HG storage and protecting corpuscular membrane by preventing lipid oxidation via modifying several enzyme activities.
authors: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100039, China.|Pharmacy College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610075, China.
authors: Shi-Ying
authors: SY
authors: Jin
authors: Animal Laboratory Center, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100039, China.
authors: Rui-Sheng
authors: RS
authors: Li
authors: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100039, China.|Key Lab of Modern Preparation of Traditimal Chinese Medicine, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, 330004, China.
authors: Bao-de
authors: BD
authors: Shen
authors: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100039, China.|Pharmacy College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610075, China.
authors: Jin-Xia
authors: JX
authors: Bai
authors: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100039, China.
authors: Ping-Hua
authors: PH
authors: Xu
authors: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100039, China.|Pharmacy College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610075, China.
authors: Ling
authors: L
authors: Dai
authors: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100039, China.|Pharmacy College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610075, China.
authors: He
authors: H
authors: Xu
authors: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100039, China.|Pharmacy College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610075, China.
authors: Shi-Xiao
authors: SX
authors: Jin
authors: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100039, China.
authors: Jin
authors: J
authors: Han
authors: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100039, China. yhlpharm@126.com.
authors: Hai-Long
authors: HL
authors: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D019662:Cucurbitaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006003:Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D017705:Lignans / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013550:Swimming; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017705:Lignans; D010936:Plant Extracts; D006003:Glycogen
keywords: Herpetospermum caudigerum; anti-fatigue activity; herpetrione; lignans