Antifatigue activity of the liposoluble fraction from Acanthopanax senticosus

The crude extract of Acanthopanax senticosus (AS) has been used extensively in Russia, China, Korea and Japan as an adaptogenic agent to fight against stress and fatigue. However, whether the liposoluble fraction possesses antifatigue activity or not is still unclear. A liposoluble fraction was administered orally to mice for 9 days. The swimming time to exhaustion was longer in the treatment groups (22.2 ± 3.3, 25.5 ± 4.8 min) than in the control group (13.7 ± 1.2 min, p < 0.05). The plasma TG (triglyceride) and BUN (blood urea nitrogen) levels in the high dose (500 mg/kg) groups were decreased significantly compared with the control group. Plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was lower in the treatment groups than in the control group. Chemical analysis from GC/MS revealed that the main components of the liposoluble fraction of AS were saturated fatty acid (12.98%), unsaturated fatty acid (33.13%), unsaturated alcohol (27.46%) and diolefine (15.76%). In conclusion, the liposoluble fraction enhanced the forced swimming capacity of mice by decreasing muscle damage, effectively preventing the increase in BUN concentration and increasing fat utilization. It is proposed that the antioxidant effect may be one of the antifatigue mechanisms of the liposoluble fraction of AS.