Standardized Fingerroot (Boesenbergia pandurata) Extract Decelerates the Development of Sarcopenia in Aged Rats

Sarcopenia refers to the loss of muscle mass with age, significantly impacting the lives of the elderly. Fingerroot [Boesenbergia pandurata (Roxb.) Schltr.] exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-obesity activities. In this study, we demonstrated the inhibitory effect of fingerroot extract (B. pandurata extract, BPE) standardized with panduratin A on sarcopenia in aged rats. The results showed that BPE significantly increased the weights of the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscle tissues and the cross-sectional area of the muscle fibers. In addition, BPE activated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway, thereby activating the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway for protein formation and inhibiting proteolysis by decreasing forkhead box O3a-mediated muscle-specific ubiquitin ligases. BPE not only reduced tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 levels but also stimulated the activities and mRNA expression of catalase and superoxide dismutase. The results suggest that BPE can be used as a functional food ingredient to inhibit or decelerate sarcopenia progression.