Background: Ursolic Acid (UA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid carboxylic acid which is extracted from plants. UA may enhance the effect of Resistance Training (RT) in human.
Objective: Current research was designed to show the effect of High-Intensity Resistance Training (HIRT) in the presence or absence of UA on the serum levels of irisin, CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α in the low activity men.
Methods: The study included twenty-two healthy male HIRT with placebo, supplementation, and HIRT in the presence of UA supplementation. The two groups received eight-week intervention including 2 sets of 8 exercises, with 8~10 repetitions at 70~75% of 1 repetition maximum and a 2 min rest interval between sets, performed 3 times/week. Placebo or UA orally was evaluated as 1 capsule 3 times/day during 8 weeks. The subsequent factors were measured post- and preintervention: C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Irisin, Tumor Necrotic Factor (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Results: UA supplementation significantly increased the plasma levels of irisin in the HIRT+UA group versus the HIRT+P group (p<0.05). UA treatment also dramatically decreased the plasma levels of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α in the HIRT+UA group versus the HIRT+P group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The current data showed that UA-induced an increase in serum irisin and reduction of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α may have beneficial effects as a chemical for increasing of the effects of HIRT in low activity men.
Background: Terebinthus atlanticus (Anacardiaceae) is an important source of essential oil and phenolic compounds justifying its use in traditional medicine.
Objective: The present work aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic and the antioxidant activities of the aqueous extract of the leaves of Terebinthus atlanticus (T. atlanticus).
Methods: The current study evaluated the effect of a single and repeated (15 days of treatment) oral administration of the aqueous extract of the leaves of T. atlanticus (PALAE) on blood glucose levels in normal and streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Furthermore, the effect of PALAE on glucose tolerance and histopathological examination of the liver was carried out.
Results: A single oral administration of PALAE reduced blood glucose levels in normal (p<0.05), and STZ diabetic rats (p<0.0001), 6 and 4 hours after administration, respectively. Furthermore, this extract had an optimal effect (p<0.0001) in both normal and STZ diabetic rats at the 15th and 7th day of treatment. This extract was also shown to prevent significantly the increase on blood glucose levels 120 min after glucose administration, in both normal (p<0.05), and diabetic (p<0.01) treated rats when compared to the control group. In addition, the histopathological analysis highlighted the positive effect of T. atlanticus on pancreas and liver.
Conclusion: The study demonstrates the antihyperglycemic effect of the aqueous T. atlanticus extracts in diabetic rats which should be mediated through the amelioration of the oxidative stress as well as an improvement in liver histology.