We performed a systematic review to evaluate the evidence-based medicine regarding the main botanical extracts and their nutraceutical compounds correlated to skeletal muscle health in order to identify novel strategies that effectively attenuate skeletal muscle loss and enhance muscle function and to improve the quality of life of older subjects. This review contains all eligible studies from 2010 to 2015 and included 57 publications. We focused our attention on effects of botanical extracts on growth and health of muscle and divided these effects into five categories: anti-inflammation, muscle damage prevention, antifatigue, muscle atrophy prevention, and muscle regeneration and differentiation.
Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle protein mass and of muscle function and it occurs with increasing age, being a major component in the development of frailty [
The present systematic review was performed according to the steps by Egger et al. [
Summary of methodology.
Step | General activities | Specific activities |
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Step |
Configuration of a working group | Selection of three operators skilled in clinical nutrition: |
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Step |
Formulation of the revision question | Evaluation of the state of the art in metabolic and nutritional disorders of sarcopenia and their treatment with botanicals |
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Step |
Identification of relevant studies on PubMed | (a) Identification of the key words (sarcopenia, nutrients, and dietary supplement), allowing the definition of the interest field of the documents to be searched, grouped in inverted commas (“…”), and used separately or in combination |
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Step |
Analysis and presentation of the outcomes | The data extrapolated from the revised studies was investigated in the form of a narrative review of the reports and was collocated in tables |
Analysis and presentation of the outcomes had been done as follows: the data extrapolated from the revised studies were summarized in Tables
Effects on skeletal muscle for each botanical.
Effect | Botanicals | Physiology | Study | Authors |
---|---|---|---|---|
Downregulation of LPS-induced COX-2 and iNOS expression | Korean |
10, 50, 75, and 100 |
Rat skeletal muscle cells | Kim et al., 2012 [ |
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Suppression or inhibition of NF- |
Korean |
10, 50, 75, and 100 |
Rat skeletal muscle cells | Kim et al., 2012 [ |
|
2 mg/mL | Male mdx dystrophic mice | Leite et al., 2010 [ | |
|
0.25% or 0.5% green tea extract, at the age of 42 days | C57BL/6J and mdx mice | Evans et al., 2010 [ | |
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Increase of NF- |
|
DS 20, 60, and 120 mg/kg | Rats | Yu et al., 2014 [ |
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Induction of the phosporylation of AMPK |
|
100 |
C2C12 myotubes | Hirasaka et al., 2013 [ |
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Decrease of MURF-1 promoter activity |
|
100 |
C2C12 myotubes | Hirasaka et al., 2013 [ |
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Suppression of LPS-induced phosphorylation of the MAPKs (JNK, ERK, and p38 MAPK pERK) | Korean |
10, 50, 75, and 100 |
Rat skeletal muscle cells | Kim et al., 2012 [ |
|
100 |
Mouse myoblastoma cells (C2C12) | Leite et al., 2014 [ | |
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Increase of ERK1/2 activity | Hachimijiogan (HJG) | HJG treatment (1–200 |
Murine skeletal cells | Takeda et al., 2015 [ |
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Activation of p38 MAPK signaling |
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KP in 2% HS for 48 h, 10–1000 nM | C2C12 and 10T1/2 cells | Hwang et al., 2015 [ |
|
Various concentrations of THP | C2C12 myoblasts and fibroblast 10T1/2 | Lee et al., 2014 [ | |
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Increase of myogenin |
|
2 mg/mL | Male mdx dystrophic mice | Leite et al., 2010 [ |
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Increased expression of MHC, myogenin, and Troponin-T |
|
KP in 2% HS for 48 h, 10–1000 nM | C2C12 and 10T1/2 cells | Hwang et al., 2015 [ |
|
Various concentrations of THP | C2C12 myoblasts and fibroblast 10T1/2 | Lee et al., 2014 [ | |
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Decrease of the expression of TNF- |
Korean |
10, 50, 75, and 100 |
Rat skeletal muscle cells | Kim et al., 2012 [ |
|
100 |
Mouse C2C12 cells | Wang et al., 2014 [ | |
|
5 mg of Rg1 | Healthy young men ( |
Hou et al., 2015 [ | |
|
5 capsules of 400 mg (250 mg of leaf extract and 150 mg of rhizome extract) | Amateur athletes ( |
Díaz-Castro et al., 2012 [ | |
|
2 mg/mL | Male mdx dystrophic mice | Leite et al., 2010 [ | |
Coffee | The same amount of drink in control and coffee group for 4 weeks | C57BL/6 mice | Guo et al., 2014 [ | |
|
0.5% w/w in diet for 3 weeks after downhill running | Mice | Haramizu et al., 2013 [ | |
|
40 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg | Five-week-old male | Chen et al., 2013 [ | |
|
100 |
C2C12 myotubes | Hirasaka et al., 2013 [ | |
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Increase in sTNF-RII |
|
5 capsules of 400 mg (250 mg of leaf extract and 150 mg of rhizome extract) | Amateur athletes ( |
Díaz-Castro et al., 2012 [ |
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Decrease of IL-1 |
Coffee | The same amount of drink in control and coffee group for 4 weeks | C57BL/6 mice | Guo et al., 2014 [ |
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Decrease of IL-6 | Korean |
10, 50, 75, and 100 |
Rat skeletal muscle cells | Kim et al., 2012 [ |
Curcumin (at 24 h) | 2.5 g twice daily | Men ( |
Nicol et al., 2015 [ | |
Coffee | The same amount of drink in control and coffee group for 4 weeks | C57BL/6 mice | Guo et al., 2014 [ | |
|
40 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg | Five-week-old male | Chen et al., 2013 [ | |
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Increase of interleukin-6 (IL-6) | Curcumin (at 0 h and 48 h) | 2.5 g twice daily | Men ( |
Nicol et al., 2015 [ |
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Decrease of IL-8 | Curcumin | 1 g twice daily (corresponding to 200 mg curcumin twice a day) | Healthy, moderately active male ( |
Drobnic et al., 2014 [ |
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Decrease of IL-1 |
|
2 mg/mL | Male mdx dystrophic mice | Leite et al., 2010 [ |
|
DS | Rats | Yu et al., 2014 [ | |
|
0.5% w/w in diet for 3 weeks after downhill running | Mice | Haramizu et al., 2013 [ | |
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Increase of IL-10 |
|
5 mg of Rg1 | Healthy young men ( |
Hou et al., 2015 [ |
|
DS 20, 60, and 120 mg/kg | Rats | Yu et al., 2014 [ | |
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Decrease of MCP-1 |
|
0.5% w/w in diet for 3 weeks after downhill running | Mice | Haramizu et al., 2013 [ |
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Decreased MnSOD (only at high dose) |
|
DS 20, 60, and 120 mg/kg | Rats | Yu et al., 2014 [ |
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Decrease of the expression of cleaved caspase-3 | Korean |
100 |
Rat skeletal muscle cells | Kim et al., 2013 [ |
|
2 mg/mL | Male mdx dystrophic mice | Leite et al., 2010 [ | |
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Increased expression of antioxidant enzymes, such as GPx (not at high dose) and GCS |
|
DS 20, 60, and 120 mg/kg | Rats | Yu et al., 2014 [ |
|
5 capsules of 400 mg (250 mg of leaf extract and 150 mg of rhizome extract) | Amateur athletes ( |
Díaz-Castro et al., 2012 [ | |
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Increase of MMP-9 and MMP-2 |
|
100 |
Mouse myoblastoma cells (C2C12) | Leite et al., 2014 [ |
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Reduced MMP-9 |
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2 mg/mL | C57BL/10 mice | Leite et al., 2014 [ |
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Reduced MMP-9 and MMP-2 |
|
2 mg/mL | Male mdx dystrophic mice | Leite et al., 2010 [ |
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Increase of citrate synthase (CS) activity |
|
5 mg of Rg1 | Healthy young men ( |
Hou et al., 2015 [ |
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Attenuation of the increases in mRNAs encoding Ly6G and CD68 observed at 24 h after downhill running |
|
0.5% w/w in diet for 3 weeks after downhill running | Mice | Haramizu et al., 2013 [ |
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Increase of p27 and pAkt |
|
100 |
Mouse myoblastoma cells (C2C12) | Leite et al., 2014 [ |
|
Various concentrations of THP | C2C12 myoblasts and fibroblast 10T1/2 | Lee et al., 2014 [ | |
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Reduction of Cyclin D1 |
|
100 |
Mouse myoblastoma cells (C2C12) | Leite et al., 2014 [ |
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Increased expression of pAkt and pFoxO3a |
|
10–150 |
C2C12 myotubes | Mirza et al., 2014 [ |
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Decrease in MPO activity |
|
0.5% w/w in diet for 3 weeks after downhill running | Mice | Haramizu et al., 2013 [ |
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Decreased caspase-3 expression |
|
0.4 mg per gram body mass per day | Mice (male C57BL/6J mice) | Ballak et al., 2015 [ |
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Upregulation of phosphorylation of Akt, p70S6K, mTOR, and 4E-BP1 |
|
100 |
Mouse C2C12 cells | Wang et al., 2014 [ |
Coffee | Coffee solution 10, 30, 50, and 100 |
Mouse myosatellite cells | Guo et al., 2014 [ | |
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Prevention of HSPB1 phosphorylation |
|
0.05 mg/mL | Human muscle satellite cells | Poussard et al., 2013 [ |
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Decrease in FoxO1 protein and promotion of FoxO1 phosphorylation |
|
100 |
Mouse C2C12 cells | Wang et al., 2014 [ |
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Decreased MURF-1 and MAFbx |
|
10–150 |
C2C12 myotubes | Mirza et al., 2014 [ |
|
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Increased MURF-1 | Go-sha-jinki-Gan (GJG) (only PGC-1 |
4% (w/w) | Male SAMP8, SAMR1 mice | Kishida et al., 2015 [ |
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Increase of the expression of MAFbx/atrogin1 | Chestnuts flour | Polyphenols (100 nM) or tocopherols (100 nM) | C2C12 myotube cells | Frati et al., 2014 [ |
|
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Decreased expression of proteasomes 20S and 19S |
|
10–150 |
C2C12 myotubes | Mirza et al., 2014 [ |
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Decreased peak CK serum or activity | Curcumin | 150 mg before and 12 h after each eccentric exercise | Untrained young men |
Tanabe et al., 2015 [ |
Curcumin | 2.5 g twice daily | Men ( |
Nicol et al., 2015 [ | |
Curcumin | 200 mg/kg/day | Male Wistar rats | Boz et al., 2014 [ | |
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Decrease plasma-serum ammonia levels | Pumpkin ( |
0, 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg/day for 14 days | Male ICR mice | Wang et al., 2012 [ |
|
0.41 g/kg/day (Ex-AS1) and 2.05 g/kg/day (Ex-AS5), 6 weeks | Male ICR strain mice | Yeh et al., 2014 [ | |
|
40 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg | Five-week-old male | Chen et al., 2013 [ | |
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Increase in blood creatine kinase |
|
4 g of ginger once a day for 5 days | 20 non-weight trained participants | Matsumura et al., 2015 [ |
|
50 mg/kg/day | Young (5-month-old) and aged (18-19-month-old) rats | Sung et al., 2015 [ | |
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Increase in serum creatinine | Ashwagandha ( |
750 mg/day × 10 days; 1000 mg/day × 10 days; 1250 mg/day × 10 days | Eighteen apparently healthy volunteers | Raut et al., 2012 [ |
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Decrease of serum creatine kinase activity | Pumpkin ( |
0, 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg/day for 14 days | Male ICR mice | Wang et al., 2012 [ |
|
100, 200, and 300 mg/kg BW | 50 rats |
JiPing, 2011 [ | |
|
0.41 g/kg/day (Ex-AS1) and 2.05 g/kg/day (Ex-AS5), 6 weeks | Male ICR strain mice | Yeh et al., 2014 [ | |
|
0.25% or 0.5% green tea extract at the age of 42 days | C57BL/6J and mdx mice | Evans et al., 2010 [ | |
|
500 mg of the whole root extract twice daily; 750 mg twice daily | 35 individuals |
Mishra and Trikamji, 2013 [ | |
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Decrease in plasma lactate or lactic acid | Korean mistletoe ( |
KME at 400 or 1000 mg/(kg·d) for 1 week and 25, 40, 200, and 400 mg/kg | ICR mice | Jung et al., 2012 [ |
|
100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW for 21 d | BALB/c mice | Nallamuthu et al., 2014 [ | |
Pumpkin ( |
0, 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg/day for 14 days | Male ICR mice | Wang et al., 2012 [ | |
Tao-Hong-Si-Wu-Tang (THSWT) | 5, 10, and 20 mL/ kg body weight for 28 days | 32 male mice | Li et al., 2013 [ | |
|
40 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg | Five-week-old male | Chen et al., 2013 [ | |
|
0.41 g/kg/day (Ex-AS1) and 2.05 g/kg/day (Ex-AS5), 6 weeks | Male ICR strain mice | Yeh et al., 2014 [ | |
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Increase in LDH and lactic acid |
|
10 mg/kg | Rat | Tan et al., 2013 [ |
|
500 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg; 280 mg/kg or 70 mg/kg; 70 mg/kg or 280 mg/kg | Five-week-old male ICR mice | Huang et al., 2011 [ | |
|
40 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg | Five-week-old male | Chen et al., 2013 [ | |
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Decreased myoglobin levels | Curcumin | 200 mg/kg/day | Male Wistar rats | Boz et al., 2014 [ |
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Decreased MDA levels in liver tissue | Curcumin | 200 mg/kg/day | Male Wistar rats | Boz et al., 2014 [ |
|
100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW for 21 days | BALB/c mice | Nallamuthu et al., 2014 [ | |
|
20–40 |
Wistar rats ( |
Vitadello et al., 2014 [ | |
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Increased MDA |
|
10 mg/kg | Rat | Tan et al., 2013 [ |
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Increased availability of serum free fatty acid |
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400 mg/kg BW for 21 days | BALB/c mice | Nallamuthu et al., 2014 [ |
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Decreased level of TG |
|
500 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg; 280 mg/kg or 70 mg/kg; 70 mg/kg or 280 mg/kg | Five-week-old male ICR mice | Huang et al., 2011 [ |
|
40 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg | Five-week-old male | Chen et al., 2013 [ | |
Ashwagandha ( |
750 mg/day × 10 days; 1000 mg/day × 10 days; 1250 mg/day × 10 days | Eighteen apparently healthy volunteers | Raut et al., 2012 [ | |
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Decrease in glucose and insulin |
|
5 mg of Rg1 | Healthy young men ( |
Hou et al., 2015 [ |
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Increase in blood glucose | Pumpkin ( |
0, 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg/day for 14 days | Male ICR mice | Wang et al., 2012 [ |
|
0.41 g/kg/day (Ex-AS1) and 2.05 g/kg/day (Ex-AS5), 6 weeks | Male ICR strain mice | Yeh et al., 2014 [ | |
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Increase in citrate synthase (CS) activity |
|
5 mg of Rg1 | Healthy young men ( |
Hou et al., 2015 [ |
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Rate of glycogen accumulation |
|
5 mg of Rg1 | Healthy young men ( |
Hou et al., 2015 [ |
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Increase in glycogen content of liver and muscle |
|
100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW for 21 d | BALB/c mice | Nallamuthu et al., 2014 [ |
Pumpkin ( |
0, 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg/day for 14 days | Male ICR mice | Wang et al., 2012 [ | |
|
10 mg/kg | Rat | Tan et al., 2013 [ | |
Tao-Hong-Si-Wu-Tang (THSWT) | 5, 10, and 20 mL/kg body weight for 28 days | 32 male mice | Li et al., 2013 [ | |
|
0.41 g/kg/day (Ex-AS1) and 2.05 g/kg/day (Ex-AS5), 6 weeks | Male ICR strain mice | Yeh et al., 2014 [ | |
|
40 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg | Five-week-old male | Chen et al., 2013 [ | |
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Increase in cholinesterase (ChE) |
|
100, 200, and 300 mg/kg BW | 50 rats |
JiPing, 2011 [ |
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Upregulation of HSP70 mRNA levels or induction of the expression of Hsp-70 |
|
10 |
Murine skeletal muscle cells |
Hernández-Santana et al., 2014 [ |
|
5, 10, 25, and 50 |
C2C12 myoblast | Lee et al., 2013 [ | |
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Downregulation of Hsp-70 |
|
100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW for 21 days | BALB/c mice | Nallamuthu et al., 2014 [ |
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Prevention of calpain upregulation |
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Oligopin (0.05 mg/mL) | Cultured human skeletal muscle satellite cells | Dargelos et al., 2010 [ |
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Inhibition of the level of ceramide |
|
5, 10, 25, and 50 |
C2C12 myoblast | Lee et al., 2013 [ |
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Suppression or mitigation of the increases in plasma CPK, AST, ALT, and MDA levels after downhill running |
|
0.5% w/w in diet for 3 weeks after downhill running | Mice | Haramizu et al., 2013 [ |
|
1% |
Transgenic mice | Nakashima et al., 2014 [ | |
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Reduction of the levels of carbonylated protein |
|
0.5% w/w in diet for 3 weeks after downhill running | Mice | Haramizu et al., 2013 [ |
|
20–40 |
Wistar rats ( |
Vitadello et al., 2014 [ | |
|
GTE (50 mg/kg body weight) | Sixty male rats | Alway et al., 2015 [ | |
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Attenuation of hydrogen peroxide concentration |
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3 mg | Male C57BL/6 mice | Kawanishi et al., 2013 [ |
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Attenuation of NADPH-oxidase mRNA expression |
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3 mg | Male C57BL/6 mice | Kawanishi et al., 2013 [ |
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Attenuation of F4/80 mRNA expression |
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3 mg | Male C57BL/6 mice | Kawanishi et al., 2013 [ |
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Counteraction of the increase of BiP, ATF4, XBP1u, and XBP1s mRNA |
|
Green tea extract (0.5% w/vol) | Twelve-week-old female C57BL/6J mice | Rodriguez et al., 2014 [ |
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Increase in the mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate | Korean mistletoe ( |
6 |
L6 cells and C2C12 cells, mice | Jung et al., 2012 [ |
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Increase of the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor coactivator- (PGC-) 1 |
Korean mistletoe ( |
6 |
L6 cells and C2C12 cells, mice | Jung et al., 2012 [ |
|
0.05% trans-resveratrol for 10 months | Middle-aged (18 months) C57/BL6 mice | Jackson et al., 2011 [ | |
|
100 |
C2C12 myotubes | Hirasaka et al., 2013 [ | |
|
125 mg/kg/day | Thirty-six male rats | Bennett et al., 2013 [ | |
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Decrease of PGC-1 |
Go-sha-jinki-Gan (GJG) (only PGC-1 |
4% (w/w) | Male SAMP8, SAMR1 mice | Kishida et al., 2015 [ |
|
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Decrease of BUN |
|
400 mg/kg BW for 21 days | BALB/c mice | Nallamuthu et al., 2014 [ |
Pumpkin ( |
0, 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg/day for 14 days | Male ICR mice | Wang et al., 2012 [ | |
Tao-Hong-Si-Wu-Tang (THSWT) | 5, 10, and 20 mL/kg body weight for 28 days | 32 male mice | Li et al., 2013 [ | |
|
500 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg; 280 mg/kg or 70 mg/kg; 70 mg/kg or 280 mg/kg | Five-week-old male ICR mice | Huang et al., 2011 [ | |
Ashwagandha ( |
750 mg/day × 10 days; 1000 mg/day × 10 days; 1250 mg/day × 10 days | Eighteen apparently healthy volunteers | Raut et al., 2012 [ | |
|
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Increase of SOD and catalase |
|
100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW for 21 d | BALB/c mice | Nallamuthu et al., 2014 [ |
|
10 mg/kg | Rat | Tan et al., 2013 [ | |
|
100, 200, and 300 mg/kg BW | 50 rats |
JiPing, 2011 [ | |
|
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Upregulation of GLUT-4 and AMPK-1 |
|
100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW for 21 d | BALB/c mice | Nallamuthu et al., 2014 [ |
|
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Decrease in SUN levels |
|
40 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg | Five-week-old male | Chen et al., 2013 [ |
|
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Increase of Grp94 protein |
|
20–40 |
Wistar rats ( |
Vitadello et al., 2014 [ |
|
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Decrease in myostatin and |
|
1 mg/kg b.i.d. | Young and old C57BL/6 male mice | Gutierrez-Salmean et al., 2014 [ |
|
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Increase in the ratio of plasma follistatin/myostatin |
|
25 mg of pure Epi (~1 mg/kg/day) | Human subjects ( |
Gutierrez-Salmean et al., 2014 [ |
|
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Decrease in cross-sectional area (CSA) |
|
50 mg/kg/day | Young (5-month-old) and aged (18-19-month-old) rats | Sung et al., 2015 [ |
Botanicals with anti-inflammatory effects on skeletal muscle.
Paper | Botanical | Compound | Model | Physiology | Main results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
In vitro | |||||
|
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Kim et al., 2012 [ |
Korean |
Flavonoids (hesperidin, nobiletin, and naringin) | Rat skeletal muscle cells | Flavonoids 10, 50, 75, and 100 |
Decrease in the production of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, TNF- |
|
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Kim et al., 2013 [ |
Korean |
Flavonoids (naringin, hesperidin, poncirin, isosinnesetin, and hexamethoxyflavone) | Rat skeletal muscle cells | 100 |
Protection of cell-structure related proteins and decrease in level of cleaved caspase-3. |
|
|||||
Leite et al., 2014 [ |
|
Pentacyclic triterpenes (barbinervic acid) | Mouse myoblastoma cells (C2C12) | Ep-CM |
Reduction of C2C12 cell density and proliferation. Increase of metalloproteases activity: MMP-9 (128 ± 14%, |
|
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Wang et al., 2014 [ |
|
Resveratrol (3,5,40-trihydroxystilbene) | Mouse C2C12 cells | Resveratrol |
Counteraction of TNF- |
|
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Guo et al., 2014 [ |
Coffee | Chlorogenic acid, anhydrous caffeine, and polyphenols | Mouse myosatellite cells | Coffee solution |
Increase in cell proliferation rate, enhancement of the DNA synthesis of the proliferating satellite cells, and increase of the activation level of Akt. |
|
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Animals | |||||
|
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Yu et al., 2014 [ |
|
Dammarane steroids (DS) | Rats | DS |
Anti-inflammatory effects on skeletal muscle following muscle-damaging exercise. |
|
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Kishida et al., 2015 [ |
Go-sha-jinki-Gan (GJG) | Paeoniflorin, loganin, and total alkaloids | Male SAMP8, SAMR1 mice | GJG |
Reduction of the loss of skeletal muscle mass and amelioration of the increase in slow skeletal muscle fibers. |
|
|||||
Guo et al., 2014 [ |
Coffee | Coffee bean, chlorogenic acid, anhydrous caffeine, and polyphenols | C57BL/6 mice | The same amount of drink in control and coffee group for 4 weeks | Improvement in grip strength; faster regeneration of injured skeletal muscles. Decrease in the levels of interleukins. |
|
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Leite et al., 2010 [ |
|
Dichloromethane fraction | Male mdx dystrophic mice | Ep-CM |
Reduction of MMP-9 (62 ± 12%, |
|
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Leite et al., 2014 [ |
|
Pentacyclic triterpenes (barbinervic acid) | C57BL/10 mice | Ep-CM |
Reduction of MMP-9 activity ( |
|
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Boz et al., 2014 [ |
Curcumin | Curcumin | Male Wistar rats | 200 mg/kg/day | Decrease of CK activity ( |
|
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Humans | |||||
|
|||||
Díaz-Castro et al., 2012 [ |
|
Polyphenols, terpenoids, and xavonoids | Amateur athletes ( |
5 capsules of 400 mg (250 mg of leaf extract and 150 mg of rhizome extract) | Reduction of oxidative stress ( |
|
|||||
Hou et al., 2015 [ |
|
Ginsenosides Rg1 | Healthy young men ( |
5 mg of Rg1 | Increase in exercise time to exhaustion (Rg1 38.3 ± 6.7 min versus placebo 31.8 ± 5.0 min). |
|
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Black et al., 2010 [ |
|
Gingerols and shogaols | Individuals ( |
2 g of ginger after exercise | Postexercise reduction in arm pain the following day (13%; −5.9 ± 8 mm). |
|
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Black et al., 2010 [ |
|
Gingerols and shogaols | 34 participants in study 1 |
2 g for 11 consecutive days after exercise | Decrease in pain-intensity ratings 24 hours after eccentric exercise in both studies ( |
|
|||||
Pumpa et al., 2013 [ |
|
Saponins (ginsenosides) | Well-trained male volunteers ( |
4 g of |
Decrease in IL-6 24 h after the downhill run (placebo). Decrease in TNF- |
|
|||||
Drobnic et al., 2014 [ |
Curcumin | Phytosome delivery system (Meriva) | Healthy, moderately active male ( |
1 g twice daily (corresponding to 200 mg curcumin twice a day) | Significant decrease in pain intensity for the right and left anterior thigh (4.4 ± 2.5 and 4.4 ± 2.4, |
|
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Nicol et al., 2015 [ |
Curcumin | Curcuminoids | Men ( |
2.5 g twice daily | Moderate-to-large reduction in pain during single-leg squat (VAS scale −1.4 to −1.7; 90% CL: ±1.0), gluteal stretch (−1.0 to −1.9; ±0.9), and squat jump (−1.5 to −1.1; ±1.2) and reduction in creatine kinase activity (−22–29%; ±21-22%). Increase in IL-6 concentrations at 0 h (31%; ±29%) and 48 h (32%; ±29%), but decrease in IL-6 at 24 h relative to postexercise period (−20%; ±18%). |
|
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Tanabe et al., 2015 [ |
Curcumin | Curcuminoids (Theracurmin) | Untrained young men ( |
150 mg before and 12 h after each eccentric exercise | Faster recovery of maximum voluntary contraction torque (e.g., 4 days after exercise: −31 ± 13% versus −15 ± 15%), lower peak serum CK activity (peak: 7684 ± 8959 IU/L versus 3398 ± 3562 IU/L, |
Botanicals with counterbalancing muscle damage effects.
Paper | Botanical | Compound | Model | Physiology | Main results |
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In vitro | |||||
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Hernández-Santana et al., 2014 [ |
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RR extracts: rosavins and salidroside | Murine skeletal muscle cells | 1–100 |
Upregulation of HSP70 mRNA levels and enhancement of the expression by exposure to H2O2 ( |
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Dargelos et al., 2010 [ |
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Polyphenols | Cultured human skeletal muscle satellite cells | Oligopin (0.05 mg/mL) | Restoration of cell viability (55.2 ± 3.2% versus 42.3 ± 4.8% in H2O2 treated cells). Abolishment of H2O2 induced apoptotic cell death. |
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Animals | |||||
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Haramizu et al., 2013 [ |
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Catechins: epigallocatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, epicatechin, gallocatechin, and gallocatechin gallate | Mice | 0.5% w/w in diet for 3 weeks after downhill running | Mitigation of the running-induced decrease in voluntary wheel-running activity by 35%. Maintenance of endurance running capacity (214 ± 9 versus 189 ± 10 min, |
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Kawanishi et al., 2013 [ |
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Curcumin | Male C57BL/6 mice | 3 mg | Decrease of hydrogen peroxide concentration and NADPH-oxidase mRNA expression ( |
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Rodriguez et al., 2014 [ |
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Green tea extracts | Twelve-week-old female C57BL/6J mice | Green tea extract (0.5% w/vol) | Decrease of BiP, ATF4, XBP1u, and XBP1s mRNA. No activity on CHOP mRNA. |
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Humans | |||||
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Shanely et al., 2014 [ |
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Rosavin, salidroside, syringin, triandrin, and tyrosol | 55 subjects (48 completing all aspects of the study) | 600 mg/day for 30 days prior to, on the day of, and after 7 days of the marathon | No effects on DOMS increased ( |
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Pumpa et al., 2013 [ |
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Saponins (ginsenosides) | Twenty well-trained male volunteers | 4000 mg of |
Lower IL-6 concentrations 24 h after the downhill run in the placebo group. |
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Matsumura et al., 2015 [ |
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Gingerols and shogaols | 20 non-weight trained participants | 4 g of ginger once a day for 5 days | Acceleration in the recovery of muscle strength following intense exercise. |
Botanicals with antifatigue activity on skeletal muscle.
Paper | Botanical | Compound | Model | Physiology | Main results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
In vitro | |||||
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Jung et al., 2012 [ |
Korean mistletoe ( |
KME (Korean mistletoe extract) | L6 cells and C2C12 cells, mice | 6 |
Acceleration of OCR (37%). Significant increase in PGC-1 |
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Nallamuthu et al., 2014 [ |
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Polyphenols | BALB/c mice | 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW for 21 d | Increase in the duration of swimming time to exhaustion by 23.4 and 47.5% for medium and higher doses, respectively. |
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Animals | |||||
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Wang et al., 2012 [ |
Pumpkin ( |
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Male ICR mice | 0, 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg/day for 14 days | Dose-dependent increase in swimming time ( |
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Tan et al., 2013 [ |
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Ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) | Rat | 10 mg/kg | Significant decrease of maximum grip strength of the MG group and the GG group ( |
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Li et al., 2013 [ |
Tao-Hong-Si-Wu-Tang (THSWT) | 32 male mice | 5, 10, and 20 mL/kg body weight for 28 days | Significant increase of exhaustive swimming times ( |
|
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JiPing, 2011 [ |
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50 rats | 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg BW | Reduction of lipid peroxidation, LDH, and CK. | |
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Yeh et al., 2014 [ |
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Ferulic acid | Male ICR strain mice | 0.41 g/kg/day (Ex-AS1) and 2.05 g/kg/day (Ex-AS5), 6 weeks | Slight increase of grip strength ( |
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Huang et al., 2011 [ |
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Eleutheroside E, eleutheroside E2 | Five-week-old male ICR mice | 500 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg; 280 mg/kg or 70 mg/kg; 70 mg/kg or 280 mg/kg | Increase of swimming time to exhaustion at high dose ( |
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Chen et al., 2013 [ |
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Three saponins (nigaichigoside, suavissimoside, and coreanoside) | Five-week-old male | 40 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg | Delays of SUN and LA accumulation, decrease in TG level, and increase in HG and LDH. Suppression of inflammatory cytokine production. |
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Jung et al., 2012 [ |
Korean mistletoe ( |
ICR mice | KME at 400 or 1000 mg/(kg·d) for 1 week |
Induction of mitochondrial activity and improvement in endurance. | |
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Jackson et al., 2011 [ |
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Resveratrol | Middle-aged (18 months old) C57/BL6 mice | 0.05% trans-resveratrol for 10 months | Protection against oxidative stress through the upregulation of MnSOD. Increase in the muscles activity in animals that were 28 months of age by an additional ~40% ( |
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Humans | |||||
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Raut et al., 2012 [ |
Ashwagandha ( |
Eighteen apparently healthy volunteers | 750 mg/day × 10 days; 1000 mg/day × 10 days; 1250 mg/day × 10 days | Increase in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. Significant decrease in total cholesterol. |
Botanicals with effects on muscle atrophy.
Paper | Botanical | Compound | Model | Physiology | Main results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
In vitro | |||||
|
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Lee et al., 2013 [ |
|
C2C12 myoblast | 5, 10, 25, and 50 |
Prevention of cell viability loss. | |
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Hirasaka et al., 2013 [ |
|
Isoflavone (genistein and daidzein) | C2C12 myotubes | 100 |
Approximately 2-fold increase of SIRT1 mRNA expression. |
|
|||||
Mirza et al., 2014 [ |
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Epigallocatechin-3-gallate | C2C12 myotubes | 10–150 |
Reduction of the expression of proteasome 19S and 20S subunits. Reduction of the expression of MuRF-1 and MAFbx. |
|
|||||
Frati et al., 2014 [ |
Chestnuts flour | Chestnuts flour extract polyphenols or tocopherols or SL-s | C2C12 myotube cells | Polyphenols (100 nM) or tocopherols (100 nM) | Counterbalance of cell atrophy. Γ-Tocopherol and sphingolipids positively affect skeletal muscle cell atrophy. |
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Animals | |||||
|
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Vitadello et al., 2014 [ |
|
Curcumins | Wistar rats ( |
20–40 |
About twofold increase of Grp 94 in muscles of ambulatory rats ( |
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Nakashima et al., 2014 [ |
|
Transgenic mice | 1% |
Improvement of skeletal muscle atrophy and cytochrome C oxidase activity. Recovery of body weight, enhancement of oxidative stress, and increase of CPK. | |
|
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Humans | |||||
|
|||||
Choquette et al., 2013 [ |
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Isoflavones (daidzein, glycitein, and genistein) | 70 women | Isoflavones (70 mg/day) and exercise | No effects. |
Flow diagram of narrative review of the literature.
Of 120 articles identified, 57 studies met inclusion criteria (Figure
As reported in Table
This research has been carried out based on the keywords “skeletal muscle mass” and “inflammation” and “botanicals” or “plants” or “extracts”; 21 articles were sourced and 17 studies are taken into account. Among these papers, 3 studies are in in vitro setting, 4 in animals, 8 in humans, and two both in animals and in in vitro setting (Table
Inflammation and oxidative stress induce muscle damage and muscle pain [
Supplementation with
Finally, several studies have investigated the mechanisms by which curcumin, a constituent of turmeric (
The three studies that have been conducted until now in humans [
In conclusion, the muscle that makes activities undergoes an increase in inflammation that can damage the muscle itself. It is important to counteract the inflammatory activity in order to preserve the muscle from numerous types of damage. Several animal and in vitro studies have investigated the efficacy of botanicals with recognized anti-inflammatory activity (such as
All these clinical studies considered the reduction of inflammation and consequently muscle pain after a strenuous exercise and not in sarcopenic subjects, but this is a good starting point for the future utilization of these plants in the elderly.
This research has been carried out based on the keywords “skeletal muscle mass” and “damage” and “botanicals” or “plants” or “extracts”; 11 articles were sourced and 8 studies have been taken into consideration. Among these, 2 studies are in in vitro setting, 3 in animals, and 3 in humans (Table
A recent study by Kawanishi et al. has clarified properties of
In conclusion (Table
This research has been carried out based on the keywords “skeletal muscle mass” and “fatigue” and “botanicals” or “plants” or “extracts”; 20 articles were sourced and 11 studies are taken into account. Among these, only one study is made in humans, one in in vitro settings, and one both in in vitro settings and in animals and the others are made in animals (Table
Tan et al. in 2013 investigated for the first time the role of ginsenoside Rb1 (Grb1) in
In conclusion, there are several preclinical lines of evidence that botanical extracts, such as
This research has been carried out based on the keywords “skeletal muscle mass” and “atrophy” and “botanicals” or “plants” or “extracts”; 15 articles were sourced and 7 studies are taken into account. Among these, 4 are in in vitro settings and 2 are in animals and only one is in human (Table
In conclusion, it is clear that botanical extracts can prevent the atrophy of muscle, after intense exercise or simply in a condition of loss of muscle mass, as in sarcopenia. We considered several botanicals (
This research has been carried out based on the keywords “skeletal muscle mass” and “regeneration” and “botanicals” or “plants” or “extracts”; 19 articles were sourced and 15 studies are taken into account. Among these, 4 are in in vitro settings, 7 in animals, and 3 in human and one is both in animals and in humans (Table
Botanicals with effects on muscle regeneration.
Paper | Botanical | Compound | Model | Physiology | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
In vitro | |||||
|
|||||
Hwang et al., 2015 [ |
|
Kazinol-P (KP) | C2C12 and 10T1/2 cells | KP in 2% HS for 48 h, 10–1000 nM | Increase of expression of MHC, myogenin, and Troponin-T. Increase in the level of an actively phosphorylated form of p38 MAPK (pp38) in a dose-dependent manner. |
|
|||||
Lee et al., 2014 [ |
|
Tetrahydropalmatine (THP) | C2C12 myoblasts and fibroblast 10T1/2 | Various concentrations of THP | Enhancement of the expression of muscle-specific proteins, including MHC, MyoD, and myogenin. Increase in the levels of phosphorylated p38 MAPK. |
|
|||||
Takeda et al., 2015 [ |
Hachimijiogan (HJG) | Murine skeletal cells | HJG treatment (1–200 |
1.23-fold increase in the cell number. | |
|
|||||
Poussard et al., 2013 [ |
|
Natural antioxidant: short oligomers of catechin and epicatechin | Human muscle satellite cells | 0.05 mg/mL | Block of the apoptosis and the protein oxidation. Recovery of HSPB1. |
|
|||||
Animals | |||||
|
|||||
Allouh, 2011 [ |
|
Ferutinin, teferdin, teferin, and epoxy-benz | Adult male rats | 60 mg/kg/rat | Significant increase in muscle weight, fiber size, and nuclear number. |
|
|||||
Bennett et al., 2013 [ |
|
Resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene) | Thirty-six male rats | 125 mg/kg/day | Favorable changes to type IIA and type IIB muscle fiber CSA and reduction of apoptotic signaling in muscles of old animal. |
|
|||||
Alway et al., 2015 [ |
|
Epicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate | Sixty male rats | GTE (50 mg/kg body weight) | Counterbalance of the loss of hind limb plantaris muscle mass ( |
|
|||||
Evans et al., 2010 [ |
|
Gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin, and epigallocatechin gallate | C57BL/6J and mdx mice | 0.25% or 0.5% green tea extract | Increase in the area of normal fiber morphology ( |
|
|||||
Ballak et al., 2015 [ |
|
Resveratrol | Mice (male C57BL/6J mice) | 0.4 mg per gram body mass per day | No modification of the age-related decrease in muscle force, specific tension, or mass. |
|
|||||
Gutierrez-Salmean et al., 2014 [ |
|
Epicatechin | Young and old C57BL/6 male mice | 1 mg/kg b.i.d. | Significant decrease of myostatin levels in young and old mice (15% and 21%, resp.). Significant decrease of SA- |
|
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Vazeille et al., 2012 [ |
|
Curcumin | Male Wistar rats | 1 mg/kg body weight | Improvement of recovery during reloading. |
|
|||||
Sung et al., 2015 [ |
|
Leaf extract | Young (5-month-old) and aged (18-19-month-old) rats | 50 mg/kg/day | Enhancement in MyoD, myogenin, and MyHC expression. Activation of mTOR signaling pathway, which is involved in muscle protein synthesis during myogenesis. |
|
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Humans | |||||
|
|||||
Terauchi et al., 2014 [ |
Grape seeds | Proanthocyanidin of grape seeds | 91 women | 100 or 200 mg/d proanthocyanidin | Changes in lean mass and muscle mass from baseline to 8 weeks significantly higher in treated groups. |
|
|||||
Gutierrez-Salmean et al., 2014 [ |
|
Epicatechin | Human subjects ( |
25 mg of pure Epi (~1 mg/kg/day) | Increase in bilateral hand strength of ~7%. Significant increase (49.2 ± 16.6%) in the ratio of plasma follistatin/myostatin levels. |
|
|||||
Kim et al., 2013 [ |
|
Catechins | 128 women | 540 mg of catechins daily | Significant group × time interactions in TUG ( |
|
|||||
Mishra and Trikamji, 2013 [ |
|
Alkaloids and steroidal lactones | 35 individuals | 500 mg of the whole root extract twice daily; 750 mg twice daily | Improvement of the strength and functioning of the muscle. |
Lastly, a very recent study [
In conclusion, there are several preclinical lines of evidence for a variety of plants (
Currently, only diet and exercise are recognized as an effective means to counteract loss of muscle [
Delayed-onset muscle soreness is generally considered a hallmark sign of EIMD [
The inflammatory response to EIMD results in the release into blood of reactive species from both neutrophils and macrophages and an array of cytokines from the injured muscle including tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-)
In this review, we focused our attention on effects of several botanicals on growth and health of muscle and we divided these effects into five categories: anti-inflammation, muscle damage prevention, antifatigue, muscle atrophy prevention, and muscle regeneration and differentiation.
To date, although the animal studies and in vitro studies are numerous and promising, studies in humans evaluating the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of botanicals on welfare of skeletal muscle are still very few.
Although only relatively few human studies have been published on the potential use of botanicals for the prevention and treatment of muscle function, the present review is important because it highlights the need of continued efforts to find effective treatment of this debilitating condition. The available results, in particular considering human studies, suggest that the botanicals that may be potentially useful dietary supplements to prevent loss of muscle mass and function are curcumin from
It should be noted that this review is not claiming that the use of these botanicals has been proven to prevent and treat loss of muscle mass and muscle function, but we believe that early and preliminary observations are promising. Further researches will support the use of these botanicals in the management of age-related muscle dysfunction and this may open the possibility of treating age-related loss of muscle mass and function with supplements.
The authors declare no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.