Department of Computer and Statistics, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China.
School of Kinesiology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China.
Mol Med Rep. 2017 Sep;16(3):2931-2938. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2017.6891. Epub 2017 Jun 30.
Our previous study demonstrated that treatment with Tribulus terrestris (TT) extracts (120 mg/kg) promoted the muscle weight gain and performance of rats undergoing high intensity exercise. The present study was designed to explore the mechanisms underlying the effect of treatment with TT extracts and the involvement of androgens, the androgen receptor (AR), insulin growth factor‑1 (IGF‑1) and the IGF‑1 receptor (IGF‑1R). A total of 32 Sprague‑Dawley rats were randomly divided into groups as follows: Control; TT, treated with TT extracts, E, high intensity exercise; E+TT, high intensity exercise plus TT treatment. The rats of the E and E+TT groups underwent high intensity exercise with a progressively increasing load for 5 weeks, and TT extracts were intragastrically administered in the TT and E+TT rats 30 min prior to training. TT extract composition was analyzed using ultra‑high performance liquid chromatography‑quadrupole‑time of flight mass spectrometry. Testosterone and IGF‑1 plasma levels and AR, IGF‑1R and myosin heavy chain (MHC) protein levels in muscles were determined by ELISA and western blotting, respectively. The saponins tigogenin and diosgenin comprised ~71.35% of the total peak area. Compared with the E group, TT extracts increased the testosterone and IGF‑1 plasma levels, and AR, IGF‑1R and MHC protein levels in the gastrocnemius of rats undergoing high intensity exercise, accompanied with increased body weight and gastrocnemius weight. In conclusion, the effect of TT extracts on the performance of high intensity exercise rats may be attributed to increased levels of circulating testosterone and IGF‑1 and increased AR and IGF‑1R protein expression levels in the gastrocnemius, resulting in increased muscle weight and increased MHC in the gastrocnemius. The present study provided preliminary evidence supporting the use of TT extracts as a dietary supplement for the promotion of skeletal muscle mass increase and the enhancement of athletic performance in humans performing high intensity exercise.
我们之前的研究表明，使用蒺藜（TT）提取物（120mg/kg）治疗可促进进行高强度运动的大鼠的肌肉重量增加和运动表现。本研究旨在探讨 TT 提取物治疗的作用机制以及雄激素、雄激素受体（AR）、胰岛素样生长因子-1（IGF-1）和 IGF-1 受体（IGF-1R）的参与情况。总共 32 只 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠被随机分为以下几组：对照组；TT 组，用 TT 提取物治疗；E 组，进行高强度运动；E+TT 组，高强度运动加 TT 治疗。E 和 E+TT 组大鼠进行 5 周的渐进式高强度运动训练，在训练前 30 分钟，TT 提取物通过灌胃给予 TT 和 E+TT 大鼠。使用超高效液相色谱-四极杆飞行时间质谱分析 TT 提取物的组成。通过 ELISA 和 Western blot 法分别测定睾酮和 IGF-1 血浆水平以及肌肉中的 AR、IGF-1R 和肌球蛋白重链（MHC）蛋白水平。总峰面积的~71.35%由甾体皂甙原型和薯蓣皂甙元组成。与 E 组相比，TT 提取物增加了进行高强度运动大鼠的睾酮和 IGF-1 血浆水平，以及 AR、IGF-1R 和 MHC 蛋白水平，同时增加了体重和比目鱼肌重量。综上所述，TT 提取物对高强度运动大鼠的作用可能归因于循环睾酮和 IGF-1 水平的增加，以及比目鱼肌中 AR 和 IGF-1R 蛋白表达水平的增加，导致肌肉重量增加和比目鱼肌中 MHC 的增加。本研究为 TT 提取物作为促进进行高强度运动的人体骨骼肌质量增加和运动表现增强的膳食补充剂的使用提供了初步证据。
