Perch essence prevents cell death to improve skeletal muscle mass and strength: Evidence from in vitro and human model

Background:Fish protein supplementation may maintain muscle strength and prevent sarcopenia as it contains a complex array of macro- and micronutrients essential for building the skeletal muscle. Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of perch essence (PE) supplementation on muscle mass and muscle function of through human and cell model. Methods:The open label clinical trial was conducted to assess the therapeutic effect of PE on muscle mass improvement. The mouse skeletal muscle cell (C2C12) model of muscle atrophy was analyzed for cell viability. Results:Our results showed PE contained abundant branched chain amino acid, taurine, hydroxyproline and collagen. After one month of supplementation with PE in our human model, there was a significant increase in muscle mass in the whole body and all parts of the body, with an increase of 1.55 % in the whole body, 1.79% in the trunk, 1.64% in the arms and 1.38% in the legs. The percentage of subcutaneous fat in the trunk, arms and legs also decreased significantly by 2.49%, 3.21% and 3.40% respectively. PE supplementation also improves muscle grip strength, especially with the dominant hand. The cell model results demonstrated that PE could effectively prevent skeletal muscle cell from death induced by dexamethasone. Conclusion:This study suggests that the branched chain amino acids, taurine, hydroxyproline and collagen in PE have the potential to serve as a good source of dietary supplements for the improvement of skeletal muscle mass and strength through cell protection.Keywords:branched chain amino acid, collagen, perch, skeletal muscle, sarcopenia