The Composition Analysis of Maca (Lepidium meyeniiWalp.) from Xinjiang and Its Antifatigue Activity

Abstract

Environment would affect the nutritional composition of maca, especially its secondary metabolite. The chemical compositions and function of Xinjiang maca were not very clear. The chemical compositions and bioactivity of Xinjiang maca were determined. A mouse model was also used to evaluate the antifatigue activity of Xinjiang maca as a forced swimming test was performed and certain biochemical parameters related were estimated. The results show that the Xinjiang maca is rich in protein content and amino acids, especially branched chain amino acids such as Valine and Isoleucine related to the effect of antifatigue. It also has considerable minerals ions such as Ca and Mg. Besides, bioactive ingredients such as maca amide, glucosinolate, and alkaloid of Xinjiang maca are similar to those of maca from other areas, which qualify the biological value of Xinjiang maca. The results of mice model suggest that maca has a dose-dependent antifatigue activity by decreasing blood lactic acid, as well as increasing liver glycogen content and the forced swimming time.

Effect of Lepidium meyenii (maca) on spatial memory and brain oxidative damage of ovariectomized-rats exposed to mobile phone

“…In previous studies, 18 compounds of maca were isolated, including seven alkaloids, four fatty acids, and seven other compounds. An investigation on the tuber constituents of maca (33,34) found that it possesses macamides (a distinct class of secondary metabolites), which until now have only been found only in this plant (12). In addition, maca has more glucosylate content than other ecotypes (black and yellow).…”

Pharmacological Activities of the Nutraceutical Plant Lepidium meyenii: A Critical Review

“…Additionally, the different cultivars showed similar levels of minerals and total Alkaloids, whereas the Peruvian cultivar showed lower levels of Benzyl Glucosinolate and N-Benzyl hexadecanamide than in the Chinese cultivars. Li et al, assessed the nutritional composition of one Lepidium meyenii cultivar from Xinjiang-China [60]. Compared to the work of Chen et al, the Xinjiang cultivar showed average water, glucosinolate and Lepidium meyeniimide contents and higher protein levels than the Peruvian cultivar, but lower protein levels as compared to the other six cultivars [8].…”

“…Micro and macronutrients are also displayed (Table 1). a: Dried yellow Lepidium meyenii root collected from Xinjiang Province, adapted from Li et al [60]. b: Dried hypocotyl cultivated in Peru and phenotype not characterized, adapted from Dini et al [68].…”

“…This includes its capacity to improve spermatogenesis [25][26][27], female and male fertility , sexual performance [31][32][33], learning and memory [34][35][36], to reduce risk of osteoporosis [37,38], and to provide protection against ultraviolet radiation [39][40][41][42], as well as anti-fatigue [43][44][45][46], cell protective [47][48][49], antioxidant [50][51][52][53][54], and immunomodulatory activities [55][56][57]. Most certainly, these pharmacological activities are related to the chemical components of Lepidium meyenii [7,[58][59][60]. Therefore, this plant can be considered as nutraceutical, which encompass plants and food-based products capable of providing treatment or prevention of diseases.…”

Antioxidant Activity, Macamide B Content and Muscle Cell Protection of Maca (Lepidium meyenii) Extracted Using Ultrasonification-Assisted Extraction

“…Owing to its chemical components, maca is known to possess various health-improving and beneficial effects on fertility, energy, memory, osteoporosis, prostate, and skin [9]. It is commonly claimed by the nutrition industry that maca has the ability to improve energy efficiency and modulate the response against oxidative stress [10,11]. Berlowski et al [10] reported that maca played an important role as an antioxidant by radical scavenging or by maintaining intracellular ATP production in conditions of oxidative stress.…”