Limonium tetragonum Promotes Running Endurance in Mice through Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Oxidative Fiber Formation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether Limonium tetragonum, cultivated in a smart-farming system with LED lamps, could increase exercise capacity in mice. C57BL/6 male mice were orally administered vehicle or Limonium tetragonum water extract (LTE), either 30 or 100 mg/kg, and were subjected to moderate intensity treadmill exercise for 4 weeks. Running distance markedly increased in the LTE group (100 mg/kg) by 80 ± 4% compared to the vehicle group, which was accompanied by a higher proportion of oxidative fibers (6 ± 6% vs. 10 ± 4%). Mitochondrial DNA content and gene expressions related to mitochondrial biogenesis were significantly increased in LTE-supplemented gastrocnemius muscles. At the molecular level, the expression of PGC-1α, a master regulator of fast-to-slow fiber-type transition, was increased downstream of the PKA/CREB signaling pathway. LTE induction of the PKA/CREB signaling pathway was also observed in C2C12 cells, which was effectively suppressed by PKA inhibitors H89 and Rp-cAMP. Altogether, these findings indicate that LTE treatment enhanced endurance exercise capacity via an improvement in mitochondrial biosynthesis and the increases in the formation of oxidative slow-twitch fibers. Future study is warranted to validate the exercise-enhancing effect of LTE in the human.

Dietary Taurine Supplementation Improves the Meat Quality, Muscle Fiber Type, and Mitochondrial Function of Finishing Pigs

“…Skeletal muscle fiber types are categorized as MyHC (I and IIa) isoforms (oxidative fiber, types I and IIa) and MyHC IIb isoform (glycolytic fiber, type IIb) according to the different myosin heavy chains . Oxidative fibers are rich in mitochondria and myoglobin, while glycolytic fibers have fewer mitochondria and less myoglobin, and mitochondrial biogenesis and function are positively related to oxidative fiber percentage. , A previous study found that a higher proportion of slow oxidative fibers is positively related to good meat quality, but a higher proportion of glycolytic fibers had great tendency to produce pale soft exudative meat . The longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle is classified as a fast glycolytic type, which contains a higher proportion of type IIb fibers, and it is a common sampling site for pork quality research …”

A Combination of Soy Isoflavone and L-Carnitine Improves Running Endurance in Mice

“…For example, endurance exercise can induce a transition from fast-twitch to slow-twitch fiber types [6,7]. Consequently, a viable strategy for improving exercise endurance involves targeting the transition from fast-twitch to slow-twitch fiber types [8].…”