Royal Jelly Plus Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation Enhances High-Intensity Interval Exercise Performance via Alterations in Cardiac Autonomic Regulation and Blood Lactate Concentration in Runners

Purpose

This study aimed to examine whether oral royal jelly (RJ) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) co-supplementation could improve high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) performance in runners, reducing exercise-induced lactic acidosis and decreasing elevated sympathetic tone following exercise.

Methods

Thirty regional-level runners (age: 19 ± 1 years; height: 173 ± 2 cm; body mass: 68.9 ± 2 kg; body mass index: 23.1 ± 1 kg/m2) were randomly allocated to receive either 400 mg of RJ and 60 mg of CoQ10 (RJQ) or matching placebo (PLA) once daily for 10 days. Exercise performance expressed as time taken to complete HIIE was evaluated at baseline, and then reassessed at day 10 of intervention. HIIE protocol applied to the runners included three repetitions of 100 m distance at maximum possible speed interspersed with 45 s of recovery periods. Indices of heart rate variability and blood lactate concentration were also measured before and immediately after HIIE in each group.

Results

HIIE performance significantly improved in RJQ group (p = 0.005) compared to PLA group. Blood lactate levels and sympathetic influence on the heart were significantly lower both before and after the HIIE in athletes who received RJQ (p < 0.05) compared to PLA. Regression analysis showed that oral RJQ administration for 10 days was significantly associated with reductions in HIIE-induced increases in blood lactate concentration and enhanced cardiac parasympathetic modulation following exercise compared to PLA. Principal component analysis revealed that runners treated with RJQ are grouped by the first two principal components into a separate cluster compared to PLA. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the improvements in runners' HIIE performance were due in significant part to RJQ-induced reduction of increment in blood lactate levels in response to exercise in combination with a more rapid shift in autonomic activity toward increased parasympathetic control early at post-exercise.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that RJQ supplementation for 10 days is potentially effective for enhancing HIIE performance and alleviating adverse effects of increased intramuscular acidity and prolonged sympathetic dominance following intense exercise.

Royal jelly plus coenzyme Q10 supplementation improves high-intensity interval exercise performance via changes in plasmatic and salivary biomarkers of oxidative stress and muscle damage in swimmers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial

Background

Excessive production of free radicals caused by many types of exercise results in oxidative stress, which leads to muscle damage, fatigue, and impaired performance. Supplementation with royal jelly (RJ) or coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has been shown to attenuate exercise-induced oxidant stress in damaged muscle and improve various aspects of exercise performance in many but not all studies. Nevertheless, the effects of treatments based on RJ plus CoQ10 supplementation, which may be potentially beneficial for reducing oxidative stress and enhancing athletic performance, remain unexplored. This study aimed to examine whether oral RJ and CoQ10 co-supplementation could improve high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) performance in swimmers, inhibiting exercise-induced oxidative stress and muscle damage.

Methods

Twenty high-level swimmers were randomly allocated to receive either 400 mg of RJ and 60 mg of CoQ10 (RJQ) or matching placebo (PLA) once daily for 10 days. Exercise performance was evaluated at baseline, and then reassessed at day 10 of intervention, using a HIIE protocol. Diene conjugates (DC), Schiff bases (SB), and creatine kinase (CK) were also measured in blood plasma and saliva before and immediately after HIIE in both groups.

Results

HIIE performance expressed as number of points according to a single assessment system developed and approved by the International Swimming Federation (FINA points) significantly improved in RJQ group (p = 0.013) compared to PLA group. Exercise-induced increase in DC, SB, and CK levels in plasma and saliva significantly diminished only in RJQ group (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that oral RJQ administration for 10 days was significantly associated with reductions in HIIE-induced increases in plasmatic and salivary DC, SB, and CK levels compared to PLA. Principal component analysis revealed that swimmers treated with RJQ are grouped by both plasmatic and salivary principal components (PC) into a separate cluster compared to PLA. Strong negative correlation between the number of FINA points and plasmatic and salivary PC1 values was observed in both intervention groups.

Conclusion

The improvements in swimmers’ HIIE performance were due in significant part to RJQ-induced reducing in lipid peroxidation and muscle damage in response to exercise. These findings suggest that RJQ supplementation for 10 days is potentially effective for enhancing HIIE performance and alleviating oxidant stress.

Abbreviations

RJ, royal jelly; CoQ10, coenzyme Q10; HIIE, high-intensity interval exercise; DC, diene conjugates; SB, Schiff bases; CK, creatine kinase; RJQ, royal jelly plus coenzyme Q10; PLA, placebo; FINA points, points according to a single assessment system developed and approved by the International Swimming Federation; ROS, reactive oxygen species; 10H2DA, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid; AMPK, 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase; FoxO3, forkhead box O3; MnSOD, manganese-superoxide dismutase; CAT, catalase; E, optical densities; PCA, principal component analysis; PC, principal component; MCFAs, medium-chain fatty acids; CaMKKβ, Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase β; TBARS, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; MDA, malondialdehyde.

Measurement of Lipid Peroxidation Products and Creatine Kinase in Blood Plasma and Saliva of Athletes at Rest and following Exercise

This study aimed to assess the agreement between quantitative measurements of plasmatic and salivary biomarkers capable of identifying oxidative stress and muscle damage in athletes at rest and following exercise. Thirty-nine high-level athletes participating in track and field (running), swimming or rowing were recruited and assigned to one of three groups depending on the sport. Each athlete group underwent its specific exercise. Blood and saliva samples were collected before and immediately after the exercise. Diene conjugates (DC), triene conjugates (TC), Schiff bases (SB), and creatine kinase (CK) were measured. Comparisons were made using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Correlation analysis and Bland−Altman method were applied. DC levels were elevated in plasma (p < 0.01) and saliva (p < 0.01) in response to exercise in all three groups, as were the plasmatic (p < 0.01) and salivary (p < 0.01) TC and SB concentrations. CK activity was also significantly higher at postexercise compared to pre-exercise in both plasma (p < 0.01) and saliva (p < 0.01) in all groups. Strong positive correlation between salivary and plasmatic DC (p < 0.001), TC (p < 0.001), SB (p < 0.01), and CK (p < 0.001) was observed at rest and following exercise in each athlete group. The bias calculated for DC, TC, SB, and CK using the Bland−Altman statistics was not significant at both pre-exercise and postexercise in all three groups. The line of equality was within the confidence interval of the mean difference. All of the data points lay within the respective agreement limits. Salivary concentrations of DC, TC, SB, and CK are able to reliably reflect their plasma levels.

Data for determining the surface properties of carbon fiber in contact interaction with polymeric binders

The data presented in this study are the supplementary materials related to the research paper “Determining the Surface Properties of Carbon Fiber in Contact Interaction with Polymeric Binders” (Voronina S.Yu. et al., 2018). The carbon fiber wettability properties before and after heat treatment and the coupling agent IR analysis results are presented. The coupling agent composition affects the fiber wettability and the capillary rise. The polymer binder impregnation rate drives the manufacturing process and the final composite quality. The data would be useful for researchers who study the interphase properties in composites and may help with determining the efficiency of applying certain polymers for wetting carbon fabrics.

[Saliva as highly informative substrate for non-invasive analysis of lipoperoxide processes and muscle damage in highly skilled athletes.]

The purpose of the investigation was to study the efficiency of measuring markers of oxidative stress and muscle damage in the oral fluid in highly skilled sportsmen under physical exercise for the assessment of their functional state. 70 highly qualified athletes at the age of 16-20 years specializing in the cyclic kinds of sports (track and field, swimming) took part in the investigation. Sportsmen performed the control test which consisted of the series of 3×100 m distances by a flat race with an active 45 s rest between them for the track and field athletes, and 4×50 m by the main swimming style with an active rest between the distances also for 45 s for the swimmers. Activity of creatine kinase, content of lipid peroxidation products in the blood and oral fluid were measured standard biochemical methods. The performance of the functional tests induces the excessive accumulation of toxic products of lipoperoxidation and increases activity of creatine kinase in the oral fluid of highly qualified athletes. Correlation analysis shows, that the intensity of free radical and peroxide processes in athletes can be evaluated by means of the method of measuring the content of lipid peroxidation products in the oral fluid.

Description of the larva and biological notes on Vermiophis taihangensis Yang & Chen, 1993 (Diptera: Vermileonidae) from China

Unmixed colonies of larval antlions and wormlions in similar pits were found in the Xiaolongmen National Forest Park in the Taihang Shan, China. A male of Vermiophis taihangensis Yang & Chen, 1993 was reared from a larva and a morphological description of the third instar larval wormlion is presented. The larva of Vermiophis taihangensis differs from the related species V. ganquanensis Yang, 1979 in the well developed sclerotized stigmata on abdominal segment 4, but is similar in the structure of the lateral row of setae and the same number of spines (6) on the pseudopod on the abdominal segment 1. 

[An experimental substantiation for using the "Semax" neuroprotector in the treatment of optic-nerve diseases]

In order to substantiate the feasibility of using the "Semax" neuroprotector in the treatment of optic-nerve diseases its pharmacokinetics in the intranasal administration was studied in experiments with rats; besides, the physical-and-chemical properties of "Semax" were investigated to define the preparation's stability and mobility in the electric field. A series of experiments, involving a tritium-marked "Semax", showed that the peptide actively penetrates into the brain and eyes of experimental animals after its intranasal administration. It was established, within a study aimed at determining the electrophoretic activity and stability of "Semax" in the electric field, that the preparation does not disintegrate in the electric field, it posses the electrophoretic mobility and moves, in the electric field, from plus to minus; therefore, the "Semax" solution must be fed from anode while making the electrophoresis procedure.

[Activity of lacrimal plasmin-like enzymes in the evaluation of the corneal state after photorefraction surgery]

Forty-three patients (58 eyes) were observed, who used contact lenses for a long time before photorefraction operations (photorefraction keratectomy and laser specialized keratomileusis--PRK and LASIK). Measurements of lacrimal plasmin-like enzymes (PLE) were carried out before and after operations on a Uniscan II microreader. Corneal and conjunctival intactness was evaluated by Bengal rose staining. Before surgery PLE activity was 3.5 times higher than normally in the patients using contact lenses. After PRK and LASIK, PLE activity increased and was 25% lower after LASIK than after PRK. Based on the data of preoperative diagnosis (Bengal rose test, measurement of PLE activities, Norn and Schirmer tests), the patients with contact lens intolerance without hypoproduction of tears are recommended rehabilitation treatment with drugs activating the repair processes (Vitacic, etc.), while patients with contact lens intolerance and tear hypoproduction are recommended low concentrations of viscoelastic drugs (Vismed).

[Keratoconjunctivitis sicca in Sjögren's syndrome: diagnostic significance of relative protein composition of tears]

Six protein components were detected in the tears by exclusive high-pressure liquid chromatography. By their molecular weight, these components were identified as lacrimal prealbumin, human serum albumin, lactoferin, IgG, and IgA. The relative content of these proteins in tears correlates with the clinical picture of kerato-conjunctivitis sicca. Correlation coefficients (ci) were -0.66 for lysozyme, -0.58 for prealbumin, 0.70 for serum albumin, -0.63 for lactoferrin, and 0.65 for IgA. Linear regression analysis showed that the relative content of IgA and serum albumin rapidly increased in the course of disease. The relative content of lysozyme, lactoferrin, and prealbumin dropped, but two times slower. The authors propose assessing the quantitative changes in the lacrimal protein composition by a special diagnostic parameter: P = sigma(dni-di)ci/C, where dni and di are the mean relative levels of the protein component in health and disease, C the sum of absolute values of correlation coefficients for all components (C = sigma[ci]). The (dni-di) value reflects the effect of disease on changes in the relative content of each protein component and the ci/C value the intensity of this effect. This parameter can be used for assessing the involvement of the eyes in Sjogren's syndrome and monitoring the efficacy of treatment.

[Inhibitors of plasmin-like enzymes and autofibronectin in the treatment of corneal epithelial defects]

Effects of instillations of proteinase inhibitors and autologous fibronectin on the course of regeneration processes in corneal epithelial defects were studied in patients after perforating and lamellar keratoplasty, cataract extraction, trabecul- and vitrectomy. Proteinase inhibitors contrykal or gordox were administered to these patients to neutralize increased activity of lacrimal plasmin-like enzymes which was 899.3 +/- 80.8 rel. U on day 1 of observation vs. 50.72 +/- 7.73 in normal subjects. Contrykal (gordox) helped significantly reduce these enzymes activities in patients with corneal epithelial defects in comparison with the control group as soon as during the first days of the observation. Combined use of contrykal (gordox) and autologous fibronectin helped attain complete epithelialization in all the patients in 12.3 +/- 1.7 days (47.9 +/- 6.3 days in controls).

NAD+-dependent hydrogenase from the hydrogen oxidizing bacterium Alcaligenes eutrophus Z1. Stabilization against temperature and urea induced inactivation

Chemical modification of the NAD+-dependent hydrogenase from the hydrogen oxidizing bacterium Alcaligenes eutrophus Z1 results in considerable enzyme stabilization towards urea and temperature induced inactivation. The stabilizing effect was shown to originate from the suppression of hydrogenase tetramer dissociation. The magnitudes of the stabilizing effects (5-fold and more) were in agreement with the values predicted on the basis of the enzyme thermoinactivation mechanism postulated earlier. Hydrophobic interactions are considered to be critical for the stability of the enzyme quaternary structure. Various methods of hydrogenase immobilization were tested. The enzyme was immobilized with a high retention of activity on aminated silochrom via its carboxylic groups.