Ursolic acid supplementation decreases markers of skeletal muscle damage during resistance training in resistance-trained men: A pilot study

Hyun Seok Bang, Dae Yun Seo, Young Min Chung, Do Hyung Kim, Sam Jun Lee, Sung Ryul, Hyo Bum Kwak, Tae Nyun Kim, Min Kim, Kyoung Mo Oh, Young Jin Son, Sanghyun Kim, Jin Han

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Ursolic acid (UA) supplementation was previously shown to improve skeletal muscle function in resistance-trained men. This study aimed to determine, using the same experimental paradigm, whether UA also has beneficial effects on exerciseinduced skeletal muscle damage markers including the levels of cortisol, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), myoglobin, creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in resistance-trained men. Sixteen healthy participants were randomly assigned to resistance training (RT) or RT+UA groups (n=8 per group). Participants were trained according to the RT program (60~80% of 1 repetition, 6 times/week), and the UA group was additionally given UA supplementation (450 mg/day) for 8 weeks. Blood samples were obtained before and after intervention, and cortisol, BNP, myoglobin, CK, CK-MB, and LDH levels were analyzed. Subjects who underwent RT alone showed no significant change in body composition and markers of skeletal muscle damage, whereas RT+UA group showed slightly decreased body weight and body fat percentage and slightly increased lean body mass, but without statistical significance. In addition, UA supplementation significantly decreased the BNP, CK, CK-MB, and LDH levels (p<0.05). In conclusion, UA supplementation alleviates increased skeletal muscle damage markers after RT. This finding provides evidence for a potential new therapy for resistance-trained men.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)651-656
Number of pages6
JournalKorean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
Volume21
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Korean J Physiol Pharmacol.

Keywords

  • Resistance training
  • Resistance-trained men
  • Skeletal muscle damage markers
  • Ursolic acid

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