| Objective: To observe the effects and mechanisms of the classic chinese medicine Astragalus membranaceus and the commonly used nutritional supplement Glutamine(Gln)on immune function in over-trained rats,and in order to provide a theoretical basis for prevention of exercise-induced immunosuppression and the promotion of exercise ability of Astragalus membranaceus and Gln as exercise supplements.Methods: 96 two-week-old male rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group(C),exercise group(E),exercise+Astragalus membranaceus group(EH),exercise+Glutamine group(EG),there are 24 rats in each group(six rats were sampled from each group at pre-intervention,2,4 and 6 weeks).Six-week heavy load swimming training was used as the exercise protocol,180 minutes per day,and 6 days per week.Astragalus membranaceus and Glutamine were supplemented by the way of gavage.The dosage of group EH was6.4m L/kg/d,the dosage of group EG was 1.5g/kg/d,and group C and group E were gavaged with the same volume of saline.The changes of serum biochemical markers(Hb,BUN,CK),immune organs(spleen,thymus)index and morphology,peripheral blood lymphocytes and their subsets(CD3+,CD4+,CD8+,CD161+)and serum cytokines(TNF-?,IL-6,IL-10)were observed,and the effects of different intervention methods were compared.Results:1.Body weight: Compared with different time points in the same group,the body weight of each group was significantly higher than that pre-intervention at 2w(P<0.01),4w and 6w,except for group E,the body weight of other groupswas significantly higher than 2w at 4w and 6w;In the same week,comparisons were made among groups,the body weight in group E,group EH and group EG was significantly lower than group C at 6w(P<0.01),the body weight of group EH was significantly higher than group C at 6w(P<0.01).2.Hb,BUN,CK: The Hb in group C,group EH and group EG increased significantly with time,while the Hb in group E decreased significantly at 4w and 6w(P<0.01).BUN and CK were significantly increased with time except group C.BUN was significantly different at2w(P<0.01),while CK was significantly increased at 4w(P<0.01).In the same week,comparisons were made among groups,the BUN in group E was significantly higher than that of other groups at 6w(P<0.01),while CK was significantly higher than group C and group EG(P<0.01,P<0.05).3.Spleen/thymus index and structure: As the overall body weight showed an upward trend,the spleen index showed a downward trend except for the group E and the group EG at4w;the thymus index in group E,EH and EG decreased gradually with time,the most significant at 6w(P<0.01),and group E was significantly lower than group EH and group EG.Compared with group C,the internal structure of the spleen and thymus in group E was damaged at 6w,however,there was no significant difference in group EH and group EG.4.Lymphocytes and their subsets: Compared with different time points in the same group,the CD3+,CD4+/CD8+ and CD161+ in group E were significantly lower than pre-intervention at 4w and 6w(P<0.01),while in group EH and group EG,only CD161+significantly decreased(P<0.05).In the same week,comparisons were made among groups,CD3+,CD4+/CD8+ and CD161+ in group E were significantly lower than group C at 4w and6w(P<0.01),CD3+,CD4+/CD8+ and CD161+ in group EG were significantly higher than group E at 6w(P<0.05),while CD4+/CD8+ in group EH was significantly higher than group E(P<0.05).5.TNF-?,IL-6,IL-10: Compared with different time points in the same group,the TNF-? and IL-6 in group E,group EH and group EG were significantly higher than pre-interventionat 2w,4w and 6w(P<0.01),while IL-10 was significantly lower than pre-intervention(P<0.01);In the same week,comparisons were made among groups,the TNF-? and IL-6 in group E were significantly higher than group C,group EH and group EG at 2w,4w and 6w(P<0.01),while IL-10 in group E was significantly lower than group C,group EH and group EG(P<0.01).Conclusion:1.After long-term heavy-load swimming training,rats were in exercise-induced fatigue,body weight and Hb were significantly decreased,while BUN and CK were significantly increased.However,Astragalus membranaceus and Glutamine could obviously reduce the incidence of exercise-induced fatigue and promote recovery from exercise-induced fatigue.2.After long-term heavy-load swimming training,the immune function was significantly inhibited,Astragalus membranaceus and Glutamine can improve the immune suppression caused by exercise by maintaining the number of lymphocytes and their subsets,reducing the degree of spleen and thymus index decline and protecting its internal structure,thereby enhancing their immune function.3.Long-term heavy-load swimming exercise induces immune imbalance that the increase of pro-inflammatory factors TNF-?,IL-6,and the decrease of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 is one of the mechanisms of exercise-induced immunosuppression,while Astragalus membranaceus and Glutamine can maintain their balance.4.Both Astragalus membranaceus and Glutamine have good recovery and regulatory effects on the immunosuppression caused by long-term heavy-load swimming.There is no significant difference between them.Astragalus membranaceus can be used as an alternative to Glutamine as a supplement of traditional Chinese medicine for the prevention and improvement of exercise-induced immunosuppression. |
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