Standardized Boesenbergia pandurata Extract Stimulates Exercise Endurance Through Increasing Mitochondrial Biogenesis

In the present study, the effect of standardized Boesenbergia pandurata (Roxb.) Schltr. (fingerroot) ethanol extract on exercise endurance was investigated in L6 rat skeletal muscle cells and C57BL/6J mice. Standardized B. pandurata ethanol extract (BPE) increased mitochondrial mass and stimulated the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) in vitro. BPE also elevated the mRNA expression of key factors of mitochondrial biogenesis and function, which are activated by PGC-1α, such as estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα), nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF-1), and mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam). In animal models, both normal and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice treated with BPE ran much longer than their respective controls. In addition, BPE increased the protein expressions of phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), PGC-1α, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ), which are stimulated by exercise. These results indicate that B. pandurata could be a potential nutraceutical candidate for enhancing exercise endurance based on its mitochondrial biogenesis and exercise-mimicking effects.