Anti-fatigue activities of hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) hydrolysate in an endurance swimming mice model

Hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) is a nutritious marine product that has attracted increasing attention due to its bioactive compounds. In this study, the anti-fatigue properties of hairtail hydrolysate were evaluated by exhaustive swimming experiments. Results indicate hairtail peptide supplementation increased the exhaustive weight-loaded swimming time. Furthermore, decreases in blood lactic acid (BLA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatine kinase (CK), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content; and increases in glycogen content and antioxidant enzymes activities were observed in mice receiving hairtail peptides treatment after a 30 min swimming test. Pearson correlation analysis suggests fatigue indexes, including energy sources (hepatic glycogen and muscle glycogen content), metabolites (BLA and BUN content), and CK content significantly correlated with antioxidant levels (glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities and MDA content) and fecal SCFA content (propionic acid and butyrate acid content). In conclusion, long-term supplementation with hairtail peptides may improve exercise performance by relieving fatigue.