Evaluation of the Efficacy of Supplementation with Planox® Lemon Verbena Extract in Improving Oxidative Stress and Muscle Damage: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial

Mon-Chien Lee, Yi-Ju Hsu, Chin-Shan Ho, Chun-Hao Chang, Ching-Wen Liu, Chi-Chang Huang, Wen-Dee Chiang, Mon-Chien Lee, Yi-Ju Hsu, Chin-Shan Ho, Chun-Hao Chang, Ching-Wen Liu, Chi-Chang Huang, Wen-Dee Chiang

Abstract

Excessive exercise load can cause muscle soreness and fatigue, as well as inflammation and oxidative stress. Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla; Lippia citriodora) is often used as a spice in tea or beverages. Its leaves are rich in polyphenols, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory bioactivities. In the present study, we investigated whether supplementation with Planox® lemon verbena extract (LVE) could improve muscle damage and biochemical indicators after exhaustive exercise challenge. All subjects (30 males and 30 females) underwent a double-blind trial and were randomly divided into a placebo group (0 mg/human/day) and an LVE supplement group (400 mg/human/day), with gender-equal distribution. All subjects started supplementation 10 days before exhaustive exercise and continued it until all tests were completed. Before the intervention, after the exhaustive exercise, and on the following 3 days, the participants underwent 12-minute Cooper running/walking; blood collection; assessments of pain, muscle stiffness, maximum jump heights, and isometric maximum muscle strength. The results showed that supplementation with LVE effectively increased GPx and reduced CK, IL-6, 8-OHdG and muscle pain after the exhaustive exercise, but it had significant effect on strength recovery. In summary, LVE is a safe and edible natural plant extract that can reduce muscle damage and soreness after exercise. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04742244.

Keywords: Lemon verbena; inflammation.; muscle injury; oxidative stress.

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

© The author(s).

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental design. In a randomized, double-blind test, volunteers (30 males and 30 females) were assigned to two groups: a placebo (0 mg/day) group and an LVE (400 mg/day) group. After all subjects received placebo or LVE supplementation for 10 days, they immediately performed exercise endurance challenges and muscle exhaustive exercise. Then at 3, 24, 48, and 72 hours after the muscle exhaustive exercise, all subjects were again subjected to various biomechanical and blood biochemical tests to observe the effects and changes at different time points.
Figure 2
Figure 2
HPLC chromatogram of acteosides and isoactoside in LVE.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of LVE supplementation for 10 days on (A) running distance and (B) change in running distance. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Different superscript letters (a, b) indicate significant difference at p p < 0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effects of LVE supplementation for 10 days on (A) CK activity and (B) delta to pre-test. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Different superscript letters (a, b) indicate significant difference at p < 0.05. CK, creatine kinase.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effects of LVE supplementation for 10 days on (A) IL-6 and (B) GPx. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Different superscript letters (a, b) indicate significant difference at p < 0.05, and baseline is compared with post-3h, 48h, respectively. Administration effects were statistically analyzed with a paired Student's t-test, * p < 0.05. IL-6, interleukin-6; GPx, glutathione peroxidase.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effects of LVE supplementation for 10 days on urinary 8-OHdG. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Different superscript letters (a, b) indicate significant difference at p < 0.05. 8-OHdG, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine.

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