Enhancement of Swimming Endurance by Herbal Supplement M3P

Objective To investigate the effect of M3P (containing Deer antler, Cordyceps sinensis, Rhodiola rosea , and Panax ginseng ); an herbal remedy with the function of tonifying Kidney (Shen) and invigorating Spleen (Pi), replenishing qi and nourishing blood; on fatigue alleviation, endurance capacity and toxicity. Methods Swimming with weight-loading of 24 male ICR mice was used to evaluate the endurance capacity, and fatigue-related plasma biomarkers were determined. Mice were randomly assigned to control or M3P treatment groups with 6 mice for each group and were orally administered with M3P everyday for 8 weeks at doses 0, 10, 33 or 100 mg/kg. Swimming time to exhaustion was measured in a specialized water tank. Lliver and kidney functions, body weight, and hematological profile were determined to evaluate the safety and toxicity after long-term M3P administration. Results M3P supplementation 100 mg/kg significantly increased swimming endurance time up to approximate 2.4 folds of controls ( P <0.05). The plasma concentrations of cortisol and hepatic glycogen content were significantly increased in mice received M3P ( P <0.05, P <0.01 respectively). The lactic acid level and blood glucose were not changed after M3P treatment ( P >0.05). The liver and kidney functions muscle damage biomarker creatine, body weight, and hemograms were not altered in M3P supplementation ( P >0.05). Conclusion M3P supplementation may improve swimming endurance accompanied by increasing hepatic glycogen content and serum cortisol level without major toxicity.