Physiological and biochemical in vivo study of polyphenols and 20-hydroxyecdisone from quinoa grains effect on resistance to physical exercise in Wistar rats

• Vladimir A. Shipelin
• Nadezhda A. Birulina
• Yuliya S. Sidorova
• Nikita A. Petrov
• Sergey N. Zorin
• Vladimir K. Mazo
• Vladimir V. Bessonov

Abstract

Increasing the ability of the human body to adapt to physical stress is relevant from the standpoint of using foods for special uses containing functional food ingredients (FFI) with effectiveness proven in vivo.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of FFI from Chenopodium quinoa grains with a high content of polyphenols and phytoecdysteroids on the physical endurance of male Wistar rats.

Material and methods. The experiment was carried out during 36 days using 50 weaned male Wistar rats. The animals were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=12): Control, Run and Run–FFI. Rats of the Control and Run groups received a standard semi-synthetic diet during the experiment. Rats of the Run–FFI group received a semi-synthetic diet with the addition of FFI in an amount of 0.055±0.003%, containing phytoecdysteroids (50.4±0.6 mg/g) and polyphenols (212.0±2.0 mg/g). During the experiment, the rats were assessed for their neuromotor function (grip strength of front paws), memory, and behavioral reactions in the “Elevated Plus Maze” (EPM), “Conditioned Passive Avoidance Reflex” (CPAR) and “Open Field” (OF) tests. Once a week, animals from the Run and Run–FFI groups were subjected to moderate physical load on a “Treadmill”. On the 36^th day of the experiment, the animals of these groups were subjected to exhausting physical load. Immediately after running, the animals were placed in metabolic cages to collect daily urine. At the end of the experiment, the content of corticosterone, the activity of catalase, indicators of protein, lipid and mineral metabolism, indexes of the liver functional state and antioxidant defense system parameters were analyzed in the blood serum; the level of prostaglandin E2 and dopamine were determined in daily urine.

Results. Physiological tests (CRAR, OF) showed that weekly exercise increased anxiety in laboratory animals. The FFI introduction into the diet led to normalization of the assessed parameters (EPM). As a result of 36-day consumption of FFI against the background of physical loads, a significant decrease by 22% in the main stress marker, corticosterone, was revealed in the blood of rats, as well as significant increase by 23% in the stress inhibitor – prostaglandin E2 urinary excretion, compared with animals of the Run group to the level not differed from the indicators of the control animals. There were no differences in endurance performance between the Run and Run–FFI groups on the results of the exhaustive exercise. Consumption of FFI prevented the formation of excess ammonia, significantly reducing the level of urea in the blood and normalizing its excretion to control levels in the urine, which was increased in the Run group by 19%.

Conclusion. The results obtained demonstrated the adaptogenic properties of the developed FFI in response to stress caused by weekly moderate and acute exhaustive physical activity. The obtained data on the biological effect of the developed FPI on the adaptive potential of laboratory animals will serve as an experimental basis for its inclusion in the composition of specialized foods.

Keywords:quinoa grain; stress; 20-hydroxyecdysone; polyphenols; rats; exercise stress; memory; anxiety; dopamine

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