Efficacy of Sanghuangporus sanghuang Mycelia SSMN4 Supplementation in Improving Physical Performance than Exercise Alone

Efficacy of Sanghuangporus sanghuang Mycelia SSMN4 Supplementation in Improving Physical Performance than Exercise Alone

I-Chen Li1,*, Bi-Hua Yang1, Tsung-Ju Li1 and Chin-Chu Chen1

1Biotech Research Institute, Grape King Bio Ltd., Taoyuan 325, Taiwan

*E-mail: chen.li@grapeking.com.tw

Our previous research has shown that adding Sanghuangporus sanghuang mycelia SSMN4 can improve muscle endurance and alleviate disuse muscle atrophy. However, it is unclear whether SSMN4 has any effects during resistance exercise training. In this study, we examined the effects of SSMN4 on gut microbiota, muscle function, and exercise performance in healthy male mice. Sixty-four male Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were divided into eight groups (n = 8 per group): 1) sedentary control (SC), 2) resistance exercise training (RET), 3) RET with a low dose of SSMN4 (125 mg/kg; RET+SSMN4-L), 4) mid dose of SSMN4 (250 mg/kg; RET+SSMN4-M), 5) high dose of SSMN4 (500 mg/kg; RET+SSMN4-H), 6) RET with a low dose of hispidin (0.86 mg/kg; RET+His-L), 7) high dose of hispidin (1.72 mg/kg/day; RET+His-H), and 8) RET with branched-chain amino acids (1500 mg/kg; BCAA positive control). Resistance exercise training alone significantly improved grip strength, the maximum number of crawls, the time of exhaustive exercise, and reduced the time required for a single climb. It also reduced levels of lactate, blood ammonia, creatine kinase, and blood urea nitrogen produced after exercise (p < 0.05). However, supplementing with SSMN4 had greater beneficial effects, with hispidin identified as the major active compound and better than positive control BCAA. Nevertheless, hispidin alone cannot improve overall gut microbiome. In summary, our findings confirm that resistance exercise training alone effectively improves muscle mass and exercise performance, reduces exercise fatigue, and combining resistance exercise training with SSMN4 or hispidin can achieve even greater benefits. It is worth noting that SSMN4 can improve the overall gut microbiome.