Effect of Verbascoside on reducing the concentration of oxygen free radicals of skeletal muscle during and after exercise

Fatiguing exercise can produce oxidative stress in muscle, leading to the injury of muscle. We used the electron spin resonance (ESR) techniques studied the effects of Verbascoside, extracted from Pedicularis, on antioxidative stress following fatiguing exercise. 70 rats were randomly divided into two groups, exercise control and Verbascoside treatment group. The rats in Verbascoside group were fed with Verbascoside 3.2 mg/kg/day twice a day for ten days before exercise. The rats ran to exhaustion with a single bout exercise protocol of incremental intensity. Every 5 animals in exercise control and Verbascoside groups were killed at each time points designed, namely pre-exercise, mid-time of running, post running 5 min, 30 min, 120 min. 240 min. and 480 min. The concentrations of oxygen free radicals were directly detected using ESR techniques. Results showed that Verbascoside significantly decrease the concentration of oxygen free radicals in skeletal muscle produced during and after exercise