ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of octacostyl alcohol preparation on the motor function, blood free radical metabolism and cardiac endocrine function of rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A rat model of exercise fatigue was used for this study. The rats were made to perform continuous exhaustive exercise, and the total exercise time of the rats till exhaustion was recorded followed by examination of the serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), malonaldehyde (MDA), plasma endothelin (ET), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with rats without interventions for exercise fatigue, the rats receiving octacostyl alcohol preparation had significant prolonged exercise time till exhaustion (P<0.05), with also significantly enhanced serum SOD activity (P<0.05), significantly decreased MDA level and plasma ET (P<0.05) and increased CGRP and ANP levels (P<0.05). Octacostyl alcohol preparation produced more favorable effect on all the indices measured than pyruvic acid-creatine (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The octacostyl alcohol preparation can promote the motor function, increases blood antioxidase activity, suppressed lipid peroxidation in rats engaged in exhaustive exercise. The preparation also produces favorable effect on cardiac endocrine function for heart protection during exercise.</p>