Fig. 3.

Fig. 3. LE ameliorates skeletal muscle wasting induced by high-fat diet (HFD) in C57BL/6N mice. (A) Effects of LE on body weight (left panel) and body weight gain (right panel) for 10 weeks. (B) Epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT) weight. (C) Effects of LE on food intake (left panel) and average food intake (right panel) in a period of 10 weeks. (D) Representative dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) images (left panel) and calculated total mass and lean mass (right panel). (E) Effects of LE on muscle strength. (F) Effect of LE on exercise endurance capacity. Distance (left panel) and time (right panel) to exhaustion of treadmill tests. (G) Measurement of isolated muscle weights. QUAD, quadriceps, GAS, gastrocnemius; SOL, soleus, TA, tibialis anterior; EDL, extensor digitorum longus; TRI, triceps brachii. (H) Representative hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of muscle cross section. (I) Mean cross-sectional area of the GAS. (J) Frequency histograms and frequency of fibers for myofiber distribution. (K) The measurements of total lipid content (left panel) and triacylglycerol level (right panel) in the gastrocnemius muscle tissues. (L) The circulating level (left panel) and mRNA expression (right panel) of TNF-α in muscle tissue. Epididymal WAT and isolated muscle weights are represented in relation to whole body weight (g/100 g bw). Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001 versus HFD group. ND, normal diet fed group; HFD, high-fat diet fed group; HFD+LE, high-fat diet supplemented with 0.25% LE extract. Statistically significant differences were determined using one-way ANOVA followed by Tuckey’s post-hoc test.

© J. Microbiol. Biotechnol.