Next-Generation Ultrasol Curcumin Boosts Muscle Endurance and Reduces Muscle Damage in Treadmill-Exhausted Rats

Abstract

Curcumin positively affects performance during exercise and subsequent recovery. However, curcumin has limited bioavailability unless consumed in larger doses. In the current study, we examined the impact of a new formulation of curcumin, Next-Generation Ultrasol Curcumin (NGUC), which is relatively more bioavailable than natural curcumin on exhaustion time, grip strength, muscle damage parameters, and serum and muscle proteins. A total of 28 rats were randomly grouped as control (C, non-supplemented), exercise (E, non-supplemented), E+NGUC100 (supplemented with 100 mg/kg BW NGUC), and E+NGUC200 (supplemented with 200 mg/kg NGUC). Grip strength and exhaustion time were increased with NGUC supplementation (p < 0.0001). Creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lactic acid (LA), myoglobin, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were reduced in serum, and muscle tissue in NGUC supplemented groups (p < 0.05). In contrast, NGUC supplementation elevated the antioxidant enzyme levels compared to the non-supplemented exercise group (p < 0.01). Additionally, inflammatory cytokines were inhibited with NGUC administration (p < 0.05). NGUC decreased PGC-1α, p-4E-BP1, p-mTOR, MAFbx, and MuRF1 proteins in muscle tissue (p < 0.05). These results indicate that NGUC boosts exercise performance while reducing muscle damage by targeting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and muscle mass regulatory pathways.

Kaempferol Improves Exercise Performance by Regulating Glucose Uptake, Mitochondrial Biogenesis, and Protein Synthesis via PI3K/AKT and MAPK Signaling Pathways

“…Kaempferol effectively reduced the serum MDA levels, indicating a decrease in lipid peroxidation. This finding aligns with previous research that excessive oxidative stress contributes to exercise-induced fatigue and may impair exercise performance [39]. Therefore, kaempferol possesses antioxidation capacity and positively modulates the antioxidant defense system, thereby improving exercise performance.…”

Beneficial effects of a novel polyherbal formulation on the skeletal muscle antioxidant status, inflammation, and muscle-signaling proteins in exercised rats

“…After the training period, treadmill running until exhaustion was used to measure endurance capacity. Animals were forced to run on a motorized treadmill (5/lane) at 36 m/min speed until exhausted ( Sahin et al, 2021 ). Exhaustion was defined as the inability of the rat to maintain an appropriate pace despite continuous hand prodding for 1 min.…”

“…A mild grip was applied to the tail of each rat until it released the pull rod. Peak values were recorded after five consecutive tests ( Sahin et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-6, TNF-α, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR), P70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (p70S6K1), phosphorylated level of 4E binding protein 1 (p-4E-BP1), muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx), and muscle RING-finger protein-1 (MuRF1) were analyzed in muscle tissue by Western blot ( Sahin et al, 2021 ). First, the muscle tissues were pooled and homogenized with lysis buffer.…”

Phytochemicals in Skeletal Muscle Health: Effects of Curcumin (from Curcuma longa Linn) and Sulforaphane (from Brassicaceae) on Muscle Function, Recovery and Therapy of Muscle Atrophy

“…The study indicated that NGUC reduced mTOR phosphorylation similarly to that of the PGC-1α protein level and diminished MAFbx and MuRF1 protein levels. In conclusion, curcumin promoted muscle recovery and exercise performance, attenuating muscle damage and activating anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and muscle-mass regulatory signaling in a dose-dependent manner [ 66 ]. In another eccentric exercise model, curcumin was administered over 20 days via oral gavage at doses of 200 mg/kg bw dissolved in corn oil.…”