Ethanolic Extract of Vaccinium corymbosum Alleviates Muscle Fatigue in Mice

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ethanol extracts of Vaccinium corymbosum (VCE) on exercise-induced fatigue in mice. Mice were randomly divided into three groups; nonexercise control group (CON), exercise control group (Ex-CON), and exercise and VCE supplementation group (Ex-VCE). Compared with Ex-CON, Ex-VCE showed increased endurance exercise capacity on day 21. In Ex-VCE mice, the accumulation of lactate was inhibited and the consumption of fatty acids was enhanced, indicating the delay of muscle fatigue. In addition, VCE supplementation elevated mRNA expression levels of mitochondrial biogenesis-associated genes such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-1 gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha), nuclear respiratory factor (NRF), and mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam) and fatty acid beta-oxidation-associated genes such as carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1), beta-hydroxyacyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (beta-HAD), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta (PPAR-delta). These results suggest that VCE can potentially prevent muscle fatigue by enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis and fatty acid beta-oxidation.