Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Antrodia camphorata supplementation on hepatic function and plasma lipids after exhaustive exercise in rats. Methods: Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: control (C, n = 10), exhaustive exercise (E, n = 10), A. camphorata supplemented (A, n = 10) and A. camphorata plus exhaustive exercise (AE, n = 10). A. camphorata was supplemented at the dose 0.3 g/kg/day for four weeks. Exhaustive exercise was performed on a rodent treadmill with the progressive protocol. Two way ANOVA and t-test were performed to examine the effects of exhaustive exercise and A. camphorata supplementation on exercise time to exhaustion, the plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, glucose (Glu), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration. Results: The plasma AST and ALT levels in E group were significantly higher than C group, while the level of Glu, TG and TC were significantly lower than C group, and the plasma ALT levels were significantly higher than AE group. The concentration of Glu in A group was significantly higher than C group. Exercise time to exhaustion and Glu levels in AE group were significantly higher than E group. Conclusion: The supplement of A. camphorata mycelium could not only prolong the duration of endurance exercise in rats, but also alleviate the acute harm on the rat hepatic function after exhaustive exercise.