Effect of Erabu sea snake (Laticauda semifasciata) lipids on the swimming endurance of aged mice

• Published in: Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology 2007, Vol.53(6), pp.476-481
• Main Authors: Zhang, G.(Tokyo Univ. of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu (Japan)), Shirai, N, Higuchi, T, Suzuki, H, Shimizu, E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue; aged mice; Aging - physiology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight; CULEBRA; DIET; DIETA; Dietary Fats - pharmacology; Eating; Elapidae; ELDERLY; endurance; ESTRES; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fish Oils - pharmacology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GLICOGENO; GLYCOGEN; Glycogen - metabolism; GLYCOGENE; Humans; LACTATE; LACTATES; Lactates - blood; LACTATOS; Laticauda semifasciata; LIPIDE; LIPIDOS; LIPIDS; Liver - physiology; Male; MICE; Mice, Inbred ICR; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; PECES MARINOS; PERSONNE AGEE; Physical Conditioning, Animal - physiology; Physical Endurance - drug effects; POISSON DE MER; RATON; REGIME ALIMENTAIRE; SALTWATER FISHES; sea snake lipids; SERPENT; SNAKES; SOURIS; STRESS; Swimming - physiology; TERCERA EDAD; TOLERANCE; TOLERANCIA; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Weight-Bearing
• ISSN: 0301-4800; 1881-7742
• DOI: 10.3177/jnsv.53.476

The effect of Erabu sea snake (Laticauda semifasciata) lipids on the swimming endurance was investigated in aged mice. Fifty three-week-old male Crlj:CD-1 (ICR) mice were fed one of three experimental diets containing either 6% lard, 6% fish oil, or 6% sea snake lipids for 16 wk. The swimming exercise was carried out in an acrylic plastic tank filled with 25 cm of water maintained at 23 deg C. Swimming times to exhaustion were measured with a load of 2% of their body weights attached to the tails of the mice. The swimming times to exhaustion of the group that were fed the sea snake lipid diet tended to be longer than those of the lard diet group, and were significantly improved compared with the fish oil diet group (p0.05). The plasma and muscle lactate levels were significantly lower in the sea snake lipid diet group than in the lard and fish oil diet groups (p0.05). The liver glycogen and plasma glucose levels of the sea snake lipid diet group did not differ markedly from those of the lard diet group (p0.05), and were significantly higher than those of the fish oil diet group (p0.05). These results suggest that an intake of sea snake lipids but not the fish oil, which is also rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), is useful for improving the swimming endurance of aged mice by attenuating lactate production and/or enhancing lactate clearance during swimming exercise, and the n-3 PUFAs contained in the sea snake lipids did little or nothing for this improved endurance.