Tea catechin ingestion combined with habitual exercise suppresses the aging-associated decline in physical performance in senescence-accelerated mice

Abstract

echins, which are abundant in green tea, possess a variety of biologic actions, and their clinical application has been extensively investigated. In this study, we examined the effects of tea catechins and regular exercise on the aging-associated decline in physical performance in senescence-accelerated prone mice (SAMP1) and agematched senescence-accelerated resistant mice (SAMR1). The endurance capacity of SAMR1 mice, measured as the running time to exhaustion, tended to increase over the 8-wk experimental period, whereas that of SAMP1 mice decreased by 17%. On the other hand, the endurance capacity of SAMP1 mice fed 0.35% (wt/wt) catechins remained at the initial level and was significantly higher than that of SAMP1 mice not fed catechins. In SAMP1 mice fed catechins and given exercise, oxygen consumption was significantly increased, and there was an increase in skeletal muscle fatty acid ␤-oxidation. The mRNA levels of mitochondria-related molecules, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-␥ coactivator-1, cytochrome c oxidase-II, III, and IV in skeletal muscle were also higher in SAMP1 mice given both catechins and exercise. Moreover, oxidative stress measured as thiobarbituric reactive substances was lower in SAMP1 groups fed catechins than in the SAMP1 control group. These results suggest that long-term intake of catechins, together with habitual exercise, is beneficial for suppressing the aging-related decline in physical performance and energy metabolism and that these effects are due, at least in part, to improved mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. energy metabolism; exercise; green tea; mitochondria; oxidative stress MARKED DECLINE IN PHYSICAL performance with increasing age is a crucial problem in our aging society. As people age, skeletal muscle mass and strength decrease, fatty acid metabolism changes, physical activity declines, and body fat mass increases, which results in an increased incidence of lifestylerelated diseases, bed rest, and other morbidities (31). These aging-related alterations are assumed to be associated with changes in the expression and activity of muscular mitochondria-related molecules, such as cytochrome c oxidases (COXs), electron transfer chain enzymes, and peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor-␥ coactivator-1 (PGC-1), which mediate mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism and myosin heavy chain (2, 6, 31). In addition, these molecules are thought to mediate exercise-induced transient or chronic metabolic responses.Because some aging-related increases in obesity, lifestylerelated diseases, and physical impairment are caused by a lack of exercise and irregular eating habits, regular exercise and dietary improvements are recommended for their prevention (24, 36). Thus, many attempts have been made to maintain/ improve physical performance and to suppress lifestyle-related diseases by nutritional and physical means (41, 42); however, their efficacy and practicality are limited and remain controversial (12, 17).Green tea, one of the most popula...

Green tea extract supplementation does not hamper endurance-training adaptation but improves antioxidant capacity in sedentary men

“…One possibility could be due to the effect of catechins on promoting mitochondrial biogenesis and fatty acid ␤-oxidation in muscle tissue (Holloszy and Booth 1976;Murase et al 2008). Yet another possibility is that the ingestion of catechins may enhance endurance capacity via activation of pathways controlling mitochondrial biogenesis (Baar et al 2002;Lee et al 2006;Murase et al 2008Murase et al , 2009). These effects of catechins on promoting mitochondrial biogenesis may help to explain why the attenuated training efficiency in response to chronic vitamin C/E administration was not seen in studies employing catechins-or GTE-based supplements.…”

“…The catechins have been classified based on the number of hydroxyl groups within their chemical structures, including epicatechin (EC), gallocatechin, epigallocatechin (EGC), catechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) (Higdon and Frei 2003;Hodgson et al 2013). Although many studies report positive effects of GTE on attenuating oxidative stress (Murase et al 2008;Panza et al 2008;Haramizu et al 2011) and improving endurance capacity (Murase et al , 2006Richards et al 2010), not all studies agree (Eichenberger et al 2009(Eichenberger et al , 2010. Moreover, to date, there is still little known about whether endurance training combined with GTE ingestion would impair the gain in endurance capacity following training in a sedentary population.…”

Cocoa husks in diets of Italian heavy pigs

“…In humans, mice, and rats, catechin exerts its main effects by decreasing fatty acid synthesis and stimulating hepatic lipid catabolism, leading to reduced liver and abdominal fat (Matsui et al, 2005;Murase et al, 2008). Under hot conditions, such as those of the present experiment, the animal stores energy in the form of fat because fat deposition is a very effi cient process, which contributes less to heat production (Webster, 1981).…”

“…The latter has been shown to be the major contributor to energy expenditure and heat production among the visceral organs (van Milgen et al, 1998). Moreover, Murase et al (2008) observed that catechin consumption reduces liver weight in mice. It is possible, therefore, that in the present study, cocoa husks have enforced the effect of temperature on liver weight loss, as catechin, epicatechin, and their oligomers constitute the main polyphenols in cocoa (Lecumberri et al, 2007).…”

Morphological alterations in the jejunal mucosa of aged rats and the possible protective role of green tea

“…It prevents apoptosis process by altering expression of the anti-and proapoptotic genes [16]. Long-term ingestion of tea decreases the age-related declines in physical performance and energy metabolism in senescence-accelerated mice [17]. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore age-related changes in the jejunal mucosa of male Wistar albino rats and the possible protective role of GT administration.…”