Protective effects of Radix Pseudostellariae polysaccharides against exercise-induced oxidative stress in male rats

The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of Radix Pseudostellariae polysaccharides (RPPs) against swimming exercise-induced oxidative stress in male rats. A total of 40 male Wistar rats were randomized into four groups: the control (C), low-dose RPP supplementation (LRS), medium-dose RPP supplementation (MRS) and high-dose RPP supplementation (HRS) groups. The control group received saline solution and the supplementation groups received different doses of RPPs (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, respectively). The animals were medicated orally and daily for 28 days. On day 28, the rats were made to swim until exhausted. The exhaustive swimming time and various biochemical parameters, including blood lactate, hemoglobin, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde (MDA), were measured. The results showed that RPP supplementation elevates the exercise tolerance and decreases the blood lactate level of rats following exhaustive swimming exercise. RPP supplementation augments the levels of hemoglobin and anti-oxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD and GSH-Px), and effectively decreases the MDA content of the skeletal muscle of rats, which suggests that RPP supplementation has a protective effect against exercise-induced oxidative stress.