Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makinopolysaccharides (GPMP) supplementation on exercise tolerance and oxidative stress induced by exhaustive exercise. Male rats were divided into 5 groups of 10 animals each. The first, second, third and forth groups designated as PGP treatment group was administered with GPMP of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight by gavage every day, respectively. The fifth group designated as control group was administered with the equal volume of distilled water. After 30 days, exhaustive swimming exercise of rats was performed, and then the exhaustive swimming time, liver glycogen level, antioxidant enzymes activities and MDA concentrations were determined. Results of the aforementioned study showed that GPMP supplementation prolonged exhaustive swimming time and improved liver glycogen reserve, which suggested that GPMP supplementation improved exercise tolerance. Furthermore, GPMP supplementation could promote increases in the activities of super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPH-Px), and reduce MDA concentrations, which suggested that PGP supplementation reduced oxidative stress induced by exhaustive exercise.

Key words: Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino, polysaccharides, exercise tolerance, oxidative stress, rat.