Molecular and biochemical investigations of the anti-fatigue effects of tea polyphenols and fruit extracts of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. on mice with exercise-induced fatigue

Abstract

Background: The molecular mechanisms regulating the therapeutic effects of plant-based ingredients on the exercise-induced fatigue (EIF) remain unclear. The therapeutic effects of both tea polyphenols (TP) and fruit extracts of Lycium ruthenicum (LR) on mouse model of EIF were investigated.Methods: The variations in the fatigue-related biochemical factors, i.e., lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), in mouse models of EIF treated with TP and LR were determined. The microRNAs involved in the therapeutic effects of TP and LR on the treatment of mice with EIF were identified using the next-generation sequencing technology.Results: Our results revealed that both TP and LR showed evident anti-inflammatory effect and reduced oxidative stress. In comparison with the control groups, the contents of LDH, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-2 were significantly decreased and the contents of SOD were significantly increased in the experimental groups treated with either TP or LR. A total of 23 microRNAs (21 upregulated and 2 downregulated) identified for the first time by the high-throughput RNA sequencing were involved in the molecular response to EIF in mice treated with TP and LR. The regulatory functions of these microRNAs in the pathogenesis of EIF in mice were further explored based on Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses with a total of over 20,000–30,000 target genes annotated and 44 metabolic pathways enriched in the experimental groups based on GO and KEGG databases, respectively.Conclusion: Our study revealed the therapeutic effects of TP and LR and identified the microRNAs involved in the molecular mechanisms regulating the EIF in mice, providing strong experimental evidence to support further agricultural development of LR as well as the investigations and applications of TP and LR in the treatment of EIF in humans, including the professional athletes.

Exploration of chemical compositions in different germplasm wolfberry using UPLC-MS/MS and evaluation of the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of quercetin

“…For instance, wolfberry flavonoid extract demonstrated antioxidant effects comparable to vitamin C and exhibited anti-inflammatory activity by curbing the production of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory factors ( Yang et al, 2022 ). Additionally, L. ruthenicum extracts exhibited anti-inflammatory effects akin to those of tea polyphenols and reduced oxidative stress ( Bi et al, 2023 ). A positive correlation has also been established between phenolic content and the antioxidant capacities as measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-Azinobis- (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6- sulphonate) (ABTS), and Ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays ( Jiang et al, 2021 ).…”

Research Progress on Active Ingredients and Product Development of Lycium ruthenicum Murray

“…LRM polysaccharides and tea polyphenols (TPs) exhibit anti-fatigue effects by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation [42,43]. Changes in fatigue-related biochemical factors lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured in motor fatigue (EIF) mouse models treated with TPs and LRPs.…”

Black Goji Berry (Lycium ruthenicum Murray): A Review of Its Pharmacological Activity

“…Inflammation is a marker of numerous diseases and is associated with infection and the immune system, accompanied by the production of inflammatory mediators, the proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 [35]. Anti-inflammatory effects have been reported for LRM [13][14][15]. Lu et al [16] evaluated the regulation of the expression of inflammation-related genes in response to LRM fruit extract treatment.…”

“…Anti-Fatigue Activity Control of fatigue is crucial because such control can prevent the development of many serious health problems; indeed, fatigue is regarded as an intermediate condition between health and sickness [54]. Bi et al [15] reported that LRM fruit water extract has anti-fatigue activity. A total of 80 Kunming mice (sex ratio 1:1) were orally administered with distilled water (control group) or LRM fruit extract (0.05, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.5 mg/g water extract) once a day for 28 days.…”

“…There have been numerous reports on the antioxidant activity of LRM over the past few years. The antioxidant properties of LRM have been demonstrated through various methods including DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay [14,16,31,32,34,[65][66][67][68], ABTS (2,2 -azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging assay [14,31,34,66], hydroxyl radical scavenging assay [34,65,67], SOD radical scavenging assay [13,15,18,23,25,30,34,65,67], lipid peroxidation assay [13,14,16,17,25,30,69], antioxidant enzyme activity assay [13,14,[16][17][18]23,25,30,69], ROS measurement [14,16,17,23,69,…”