The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of exercise and nutrition intervention on rat immune function.
Flor-Essence is a kind of health food produced by FLORA company in Canada and certified by Quality Assurance International (QAI). Its main components are burdock root, cress leaves of grass, kelp, Turkish rhubarb root, et al.
Flor-Essence has been shown to activate the body detoxification path, improve the physical environment, and inhibit
cancer cell growth and proliferation. Sixty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into six groups: control, NS + training, low-dose
Flor-Essence + training, low-dose
Flor-Essence, high-dose
Flor-Essence + training, high-dose
Flor-Essence groups. The rats in NS + training, low-dose
Flor-Essence + training, high-dose
Flor-Essence + training groups swam 35 min per day in the water tank for 6 days a week. One hour before exercise, the rats were given low- (2.5 mg/mL) or high-dose (5 mg/mL)
Flor-Essence daily by intragastric administration, and the rats in NS + training group were given equivalent volume of NS. On the last day of four training weeks, all rats took part in a bout of exhaustive exercise, and then were sacrificed immediately. Arterial blood serum samples were taken for the assays of
IL-6,
IL-12 and TNF-α contents, spleens for natural killer (NK) cells activity. The results showed that serum
IL-6 content in NS + training group was decreased compared with that in control group. Low- and high-dose
Flor-Essence groups showed decreased
IL-6,
IL-12 and TNF-α serum contents, as well as longer exhaustive time, compared with control group. The improving effects of high-dose
Flor- Essence on
IL-6, TNF-α and exhaustive time were greater than those of low dose. Compared with NS + training, low- and high-dose
Flor-Essence + training reduced serum contents of
IL-6 and TNF-α, and prolonged exhaustive time; only high-dose
Flor-Essence + training decreased serum
IL-12 content and enhanced NK cells activity. These results suggest
Flor-Essence in combination with exercise can improve rat immune function and sports performance, and the effect of high-dose
Flor-Essence is better than that of low dose.