Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Açai) seed extract improves physical performance in old rats by restoring vascular function and oxidative status and activating mitochondrial muscle biogenesis.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Alterations in cardiovascular and skeletal muscle function are hallmarks of ageing that lead to exercise intolerance. We aimed to examine whether the treatment with Euterpe oleracea Mart. seed extract (ASE) associated with exercise training improves aerobic exercise performance by promoting healthy ageing in the elderly.

METHODS:

Male Wistar rats were divided into five groups: Young (3 months), Old (18 months), Old+ASE (ASE 200 mg/kg/day), Old+Training (exercise training 30 min/day; 5 days/week) and Old+Training+ASE, for 4 weeks.

KEY FINDINGS:

ASE treatment increased the exercise time and the running distance concerning the initial maximal treadmill stress test (MTST) in the Old+Training+ASE group. Exercise training or ASE treatment restored the aorta oxidative damage and antioxidant defence. It reduced the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced vasodilation in the aorta of old animals to the same values as the young and improved hypertension. Only the association of both strategies restored the ACh-induced vasodilation in mesentery arteries. Remarkably, exercise training associated with ASE increased the antioxidant defence, nitrite levels and expression of the mitochondrial SIRT-1, PGC1α in soleus muscle homogenates.

CONCLUSIONS:

ASE treatment associated with exercise training contributes to better exercise performance and tolerance in ageing by improving vascular function, oxidative stress and activating the muscle SIRT-1/PGC-1α pathway.

• Authors: Ricardo de Andrade Soares, Beatriz Cardoso de Oliveira, Flávia Dos Santos Ferreira, Matheus Pontes de Menezes, Matheus Henrique Romão, Graziele Freitas de Bem, Ana Lúcia Rosa Nascimento, Jorge José de Carvalho, Cristiane Aguiar da Costa, Dayane Teixeira Ognibene, Roberto Soares de Moura, Angela Castro Resende
• Journal: The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology (J Pharm Pharmacol) Vol. 75 Issue 7 Pg. 969-984 (Jul 05 2023) ISSN: 2042-7158 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 37163766 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected].

Chemical References

• Antioxidants
• Plant Extracts

Topics

• Rats
• Male
• Animals
• Euterpe
• Antioxidants (pharmacology, metabolism)
• Rats, Wistar
• Plant Extracts (pharmacology, metabolism)
• Oxidative Stress
• Muscle, Skeletal
• Physical Functional Performance