Abstract

The present study was designed to determine the effects of polysaccharides from purslane (PFP) supplementation on acute exercise induced oxidative stress in young male Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were divided randomly into four groups, that is control group (C), low-dose PFP supplemented group (LP), middle-dose PFP supplemented group (MP) and high-dose PFP supplemented group (HP). Each group contains eight animals. The mice in the control group were orally administered physiological saline of 50 ml/kg bodyweight per day for 30 days, while the PFP supplemented group received the same volume of PFP of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg bodyweight. On the final day of the study, rats were exercised to exhaustion (22 m/min at 10% inclination on the treadmill) and then all the rats were sacrificed. Body weight, running time, blood lactate, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) of rats were measured. Results of the above study showed that PFP supplementation could elevate the exercise tolerance and inhibited the production of blood lactate during acute exercise. PFP supplementation lowers exercise induced oxidative stress by means of decreasing SOD, GPX activities and MDA level in skeletal muscle of young rats.

Key words: Polysaccharides from purslane, acute exercise, oxidative stress, rats.