lignans and Fatigue

Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim) Harms (Araliaceae), also called Siberian Ginseng, Eleutherococcus senticosus, and Ciwujia in Chinese, is a widely used traditional Chinese herb that could invigorate qi, strengthen the spleen, and nourish kidney in the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. With high medicinal value, Acanthopanax senticosus (AS, thereafter) is popularly used as an "adaptogen" like Panax ginseng. In recent decades, a great number of chemical, pharmacological, and clinical studies on AS have been carried out worldwide. Several kinds of chemical compounds have been reported, including triterpenoid saponins, lignans, coumarins, and flavones, among which, phenolic compounds such as syringin and eleutheroside E, were considered to be the most active components. Considerable pharmacological experiments both in vitro and in vivo have persuasively demonstrated that AS possessed anti-stress, antiulcer, anti-irradiation, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities, etc. The present review is an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of the botany, chemistry, pharmacology, toxicity and clinical trials of AS.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Anti-Ulcer Agents; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Antioxidants; Bone and Bones; Botany; Coumarins; Eleutherococcus; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fatigue; Flavones; Hepatitis; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents; Immunologic Factors; Lignans; Neuroprotective Agents; Nitrites; Oils, Volatile; Plant Extracts; Polysaccharides; Radiation-Protective Agents; Saponins; Triterpenes

The bark and leaves of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv (Eucommiaceae) and "Siberian ginseng" (Ezoukogi in Japanese) prepared from the root bark or stem bark of Eleutherococcus senticosus Maxim (Acanthopanax senticosus Harms) have been used as tonic and anti-stress drug. The extracts of Eucommia showed anti-hypertensive, anti-complementary, anti-oxidative, and anti-gastric ulcer effects, and promoting collagen synthesis, accelating granuloma formation, and other pharmacological effects. The Siberian ginseng exhibited anti-fatigue, anti-stress, immuno-enhancing effect, CNS activity, and anti-depressive effect. By now, 40, 28, and 10 compounds have been isolated from Eucommia ulmoides bark, Eucommia ulmoides leaves, and Siberian ginseng, respectively, and their structures were elucidated. Their pharmacological activities were mainly due to lignans and iridoid glycosides.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Anti-Ulcer Agents; Antihypertensive Agents; Antioxidants; Collagen; Coumarins; Depression; Eleutherococcus; Eucommiaceae; Fatigue; Furans; Glucosides; Humans; Iridoid Glucosides; Iridoids; Lignans; Plant Extracts; Rats; Stress, Physiological

Sesamin has anti-oxidative functions in vivo. Fatigue is caused in part by oxidative stress. We evaluated whether sesame lignans (sesamin/episesamin=1/1, 10 mg) with vitamin E (55 mg of alpha-tocopherol) (SVE) could improve subjective statuses and anti-oxidative capacity in humans using questionnaires on fatigue, sleep and physical appearance, as well as low-density lipoprotein oxidation lag time. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group study was conducted with subjects experiencing daily fatigue. After a run-in period, subjects were administered oral SVE or a placebo (P) for 8 weeks. A questionnaire regarding fatigue, sleep and physical appearance was conducted at 0, 4, and 8 weeks. Plasma low-density lipoprotein oxidation lag time was measured as an indicator of anti-oxidative capacity. The per-protocol analysis revealed significant improvements in fatigue status at 4 and 8 weeks compared to 0 weeks in both groups (p<0.01), and sleep and physical appearance at 8 weeks compared to 0 weeks only in the SVE group (p<0.01). There were no significant differences observed between the groups. According to the 72-subject subgroup analysis (aged 40 and over), the sleep and physical appearance significantly improved compared to the P group (p<0.05), and fatigue status showed a tendency for improvement compared to the P group. Anti-oxidative capacity in the SVE group significantly increased compared to the P group (p<0.01). No adverse events relating to SVE supplementation were confirmed. These results suggest SVE supplementation could safely alleviate daily fatigue and oxidative stress.

Topics: Adult; Antioxidants; Double-Blind Method; Fatigue; Female; Humans; Lignans; Male; Oxidative Stress; Sesamum; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome; Vitamin E

To ascertain anti-fatigue constituents and mechanisms of Herpetospermum caudigerum.. 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.. 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.. 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.

Topics: Animals; Body Weight; Cucurbitaceae; Fatigue; Glycogen; Lignans; Liver; Male; Mice; Plant Extracts; Swimming; Time Factors

Arctigenin, a phenylpropanoid dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan found in traditional Chinese herbs, has been determined to exhibit a variety of pharmacological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammation, neuroprotection, and endurance enhancement. In the present study, we investigated the antioxidation and anti-fatigue effects of arctigenin in rats.. Rat L6 skeletal muscle cell line was exposed to H2O2 (700 μmol/L), and ROS level was assayed using DCFH-DA as a probe. Male SD rats were injected with arctigenin (15 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1), ip) for 6 weeks, and then the weight-loaded forced swimming test (WFST) was performed to evaluate their endurance. The levels of antioxidant-related genes in L6 cells and the skeletal muscles of rats were analyzed using real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting.. Incubation of L6 cells with arctigenin (1, 5, 20 μmol/L) dose-dependently decreased the H2O2-induced ROS production. WFST results demonstrated that chronic administration of arctigenin significantly enhanced the endurance of rats. Furthermore, molecular biology studies on L6 cells and skeletal muscles of the rats showed that arctigenin effectively increased the expression of the antioxidant-related genes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (Gsr), glutathione peroxidase (GPX1), thioredoxin (Txn) and uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), through regulation of two potential antioxidant pathways: AMPK/PGC-1α/PPARα in mitochondria and AMPK/p53/Nrf2 in the cell nucleus.. Arctigenin efficiently enhances rat swimming endurance by elevation of the antioxidant capacity of the skeletal muscles, which has thereby highlighted the potential of this natural product as an antioxidant in the treatment of fatigue and related diseases.

Topics: AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; Animals; Antioxidants; Cell Line; Fatigue; Furans; Glutathione Peroxidase; Glutathione Reductase; Hydrogen Peroxide; Ion Channels; Lignans; Male; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial Proteins; Muscle, Skeletal; NF-E2-Related Factor 2; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Physical Endurance; PPAR gamma; Rats; Reactive Oxygen Species; Signal Transduction; Superoxide Dismutase; Swimming; Thioredoxins; Transcription Factors; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; Uncoupling Protein 2

In the present review, the literature data on the chemical constituents and biological investigations of the genus Pedicularis are summarized. Some species of Pedicularis have been widely applied in traditional Chinese medicine. A wide range of chemical components including iridoid glycosides, phenylpropanoid glycosides (PhGs), lignans glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids and other compounds have been isolated and identified from the genus Pedicularis. In vitro and in vivo studies indicated some monomer compounds and extracts from the genus Pedicularis have been found to possess antitumor, hepatoprotective, anti-oxidative, antihaemolysis, antibacterial activity, fatigue relief of skeletal muscle, nootropic effect and other activities.

Topics: Alkaloids; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Antioxidants; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; Fatigue; Flavonoids; Glycosides; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Iridoid Glycosides; Lignans; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Mice; Molecular Conformation; Nootropic Agents; Pedicularis; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Propanols