Tier 3 — preclinical

Betaine, a component of Lycium chinense, enhances muscular endurance of mice and myogenesis of myoblasts

Sang-Soo Lee, Yong-An Kim, Bokkee Eun, Jayeon Yoo, Eun-Mi Kim, Myoung Soo Nam, Kee K Kim
Food science & nutrition 2021 9(9):5083-5091

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 34532017
PubMed Central
PMC8441376
DOI
10.1002/fsn3.2466
Funding
Reported funding/support: Rural Development Administration 10.13039/501100003627PJ01354401
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignExperimental animal and/or laboratory research
ModelMice and cultured myoblasts
SampleExperiment-specific biological replicates and model groups; see original methods
InterventionLycium extract-containing food in mice; extract and betaine in cells
DurationModel-specific food and cell experiments
EndpointsMouse endurance; Myogenesis

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2021, this source examined preclinical aging, brain and metabolic mechanisms. Design: Experimental animal and/or laboratory research. Sample/model: Experiment-specific biological replicates and model groups; see original methods. The exposure or intervention was Lycium extract-containing food in mice; extract and betaine in cells. Follow-up or treatment period: Model-specific food and cell experiments.

Lycium-containing food improved mouse endurance, while extract and betaine promoted selected myogenesis measures in cells.

Experimental model evidence. The intervention, concentrations and outcomes do not establish an effective human supplement dose or a clinical treatment benefit. The mouse intervention used a Lycium-containing food, so its endurance result should not be attributed to isolated betaine alone.

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Key findings

  • Lycium-containing food improved mouse endurance, while extract and betaine promoted selected myogenesis measures in cells.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Mouse endurance; Myogenesis.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Lycium extract-containing food in mice; extract and betaine in cells; Model-specific food and cell experiments.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Experimental model evidence. The intervention, concentrations and outcomes do not establish an effective human supplement dose or a clinical treatment benefit. The mouse intervention used a Lycium-containing food, so its endurance result should not be attributed to isolated betaine alone.
  • Cell concentrations, species, disease models and experimental routes cannot be converted directly into an effective or safe oral human regimen.
  • Source basis: Accessible full-text extract plus indexed bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

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Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology