Limonium tetragonum Promotes Running Endurance in Mice through Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Oxidative Fiber Formation

The purpose of this study was to examine whether Limonium tetragonum, cultivated in a smart-farming system with LED lamps, could increase exercise capacity in mice. C57BL/6 male mice were orally administered vehicle or Limonium tetragonum water extract (LTE), either 30 or 100 mg/kg, and were subjected to moderate intensity treadmill exercise for 4 weeks. Running distance markedly increased in the LTE group (100 mg/kg) by 80 +/- 4% compared to the vehicle group, which was accompanied by a higher proportion of oxidative fibers (6 +/- 6% vs. 10 +/- 4%). Mitochondrial DNA content and gene expressions related to mitochondrial biogenesis were significantly increased in LTE-supplemented gastrocnemius muscles. At the molecular level, the expression of PGC-1 alpha, a master regulator of fast-to-slow fiber-type transition, was increased downstream of the PKA/CREB signaling pathway. LTE induction of the PKA/CREB signaling pathway was also observed in C2C12 cells, which was effectively suppressed by PKA inhibitors H89 and Rp-cAMP. Altogether, these findings indicate that LTE treatment enhanced endurance exercise capacity via an improvement in mitochondrial biosynthesis and the increases in the formation of oxidative slow-twitch fibers. Future study is warranted to validate the exercise-enhancing effect of LTE in the human.

Automated summary

The study investigated the effects of Limonium tetragonum, cultivated in a smart-farming system with LED lamps, on exercise capacity in mice. The results showed that supplementation with Limonium tetragonum significantly increased running distance and improved mitochondrial biosynthesis and the formation of oxidative slow-twitch fibers. These findings suggest a positive effect of Limonium tetragonum on enhancing endurance exercise capacity.