Astragalus on the anti-fatigue effect in hypoxic mice

Objective: Astragalus is a traditional Chinese medicine to improve the function of the body. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of astragalus on improvement of anti-fatigue capacity in mice under simulated plateau environment. Methods: Male Kunming mice were randomly divided into the following groups: the control group, astragalus treatment groups in low dosage (LD) (1.0 g/kg.d), mid dosage (MD) (3.0 g/kg.d), and high dosage (HD) (30 g/kg.d). The control group were fed under normoxia environment, and hypoxic mice were fed at a stimulated elevation of 5000 meters. After continuous intragastric administration for 10 days, exhaustive swimming experiment was conducted in the anoxic environment. The swimming time, glucose and lactic acid concentration in blood, glycogen contents in liver, SOD and MDA were determined. Results: Compared with the control group, the swimming time of each astragalus treated group was evidently prolonged (P < 0.05), and the area under the blood lactic acid curve was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In the high and middle dose of astragalus group, liver glycogen was obviously increased. After exhausted swimming, glycogen contents in blood and SOD were significantly increased, while MDA was evidently reduced (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Astragalus can alleviate physical fatigue in mice under simulated plateau environment. It has an obvious anti-fatigue effect and it's worthy of further study.