Curcumin (CUMINUP60®) mitigates exercise fatigue through regulating PI3K/Akt/AMPK/mTOR pathway in mice.

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Molecular Biology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Curcumin, a compound from Curcuma longa L., shows potential in mitigating exercise fatigue.
• The precise molecular mechanisms underlying curcumin's anti-fatigue effects remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the molecular mechanisms of curcumin's anti-fatigue effects using a mouse model.
• To compare curcumin's efficacy against caffeine, a known ergogenic aid.

Main Methods:

• Kunming mice were administered curcumin or caffeine intragastrically for 28 days.
• Exercise fatigue was assessed by measuring time to exhaustion, muscle glycogen, and protein expression.
• Key metabolic markers including AMP/ATP ratio, lactic acid, glycogen synthase, and myonectin were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Both curcumin and caffeine significantly improved exercise performance and increased muscle glycogen content compared to controls.
• Curcumin demonstrated superior effects in reducing the AMP/ATP ratio and lactic acid levels.
• Curcumin modulated the PI3K/Akt/AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway, influencing protein expression related to energy metabolism.

Conclusions:

• Curcumin exhibits significant anti-fatigue properties comparable to caffeine.
• Curcumin's mechanism involves the regulation of energy metabolism via the PI3K/Akt/AMPK/mTOR pathway.