Effect And Mechanism Of Codonopsis Lanceolata On Skeletal Muscle Contractility In Rats

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of codonopsis lanceolata on skeletal musclein Rats.METHODS: Wister rats (180-200g) and KuanMing mouses (20-22g) were used forthe experiments. The animals were supplied by the Animal office of YanBian MedicalUniversity. The KuanMing mouses wre used to determine the time of forcingswimming periods. The Wister rats were used on skeletal muscle contractility and thebiochemical indicatrixs were detected. Twenty-eight KuanMing mouses wererandomly divided into 4 groups, codonopsis lanceolata high, middle, low dosesrespectively and the control groups. Intragastric doses of codonopsis lanceolata were2, 1, 0.5g/kg and the control group has been administrated by saline with 4ml/100gtotal volume. Twenty-eight male Wister rats were also randomly divided into 4 groups,codonopsis lanceolata high, middle, low dose respectively and control group, sevenanimals were involved in each groups. The other every groups were lavaged with thecodonopsis lanceolata (960,480,240mg/kg) and the control group were treated bythe same volume of saline for one time every day continuously two weeks. Water andfood were added by arbitrarily for experimental animals. Contractility of the soleusand gastrocnemius were observed by stimulation of the soleus and the gastrocnemiusnerve after intragastric administration for two weeks by using RM-6240 system andthe swimming periods of the rats were also detected. The skeletal muscle latent periodof single twitch, shrink range, the half diastole time, latent period of tetanus, shrinkrange, the index of fatigue and the forcing swimming time were also determined.Simultaneity, the experiments were measured glutathione peroxidae (GSH-PX), lactic(acid) dehydrogenase (LD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) inthe soleus and the gastrocnemius muscle.RESULTS: 1. The swimming was prolonged significantly (p＜0.05) in the high and middle dose groups. 2. The contractility of the skeletal muscle was showed that: (1)the latent period of single twitch of the soleus was shortened and the most of shrinkrange was significantly increased compared with control group (p＜0.05 respectively)and the half diastole was also prolonged significantly (p＜0.05 vs control) in the highand middle dose groups. However there was no significant changes (p＞0.05 vscontrol) in the low dose group. The latent period of tetanus was shortened. The mostshrink range and the index of fatigue were increased significantly (p＜0.05) in the highand middle dose groups. (2) The latent period of single twitch of the gastrocnemiuswas shortened and the most shrink range was increased. The half diastole wasprolonged significantly (p＜0.05) in the high dose group, but has no significantchanges (p＞0.05) in the middle and low dose groups. The latent period of the tetanuswas shortened, the most shrink range and the index of fatigue were increasedsignificantly (p＜0.05). 3. The content of MDA, LD in the soleus and thegastrocnemius were decreased significantly and the activities of SOD, GSH—PXwere increased significantly (p＜0.05 vs control).CONCLUSION: Alcohol-extraction of codonopsis lanceolata increasing thecontractility and antagonizing fatigue of the skeletal muscle in the rats. The effect wasprobably reduced the free radical and deceased the lactic acid in the skeletal muscle.