EFFECT OF A COMPOUND KRILL OIL NUTRITIONAL PREPARATION ON EXERCISE CAPACITY IN COLD-EXPOSED MICE AND ITS POTENTIAL MECHANISMS

TAO Meng-di; ZHANG Yu-xian; GAO Yu-tong; GUO Chang-jiang; YU Li-xia; YAO Zhan-xin

Acta Nutrimenta Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (2) : 141-148.

TAO Meng-di^1,2, ZHANG Yu-xian², GAO Yu-tong², GUO Chang-jiang², YU Li-xia², YAO Zhan-xin²

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Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of a compound krill oil nutritional preparation on exercise capacity in cold-exposed mice and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods (1) Acute cold exposure test: Eight-week-old male C57 mice were randomly divided into a solvent control group (Con) and a compound krill oil nutritional preparation group (Kon) based on body weight, with 12 mice per group. The Con group was gavaged daily with corn oil, while the Kon group received the compound krill oil nutritional preparation daily for 14 consecutive days. On day 14, the forelimb and hindlimb grip strength was measured using a LAT-ZL grip strength meter. Subsequently, all mice were placed on a treadmill inside a -10°C low-temperature simulation chamber, and the time to exhaustion was recorded. Blood lactate levels from the tail tip were measured before and after running using an EKF lactate analyzer. (2) Chronic cold exposure test: Eight-week-old male C57 mice were randomly divided into a room temperature control group (RT_Con), a cold control group (Co_Con), and a cold plus compound krill oil nutritional preparation group (Co_Kon) based on body weight, with 10-11 mice per group. The RT_Con group was chamber. The RT_Con and Co_Con groups were gavaged daily with corn oil, and the Co_Kon group received the compound krill oil nutritional preparation daily for 14 consecutive days. During the experiment, food and water intakes, body weight, rectal temperature, and grip strength were monitored. After 14 days of experimentation, blood samples were collected via orbital enucleation, and interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) was isolated. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe lipid droplet area in brown adipocytes. The protein expression levels of GPR120, p38 MAPK, PGC-1α, and UCP1 in BAT were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot. Results Administration of the compound krill oil nutritional preparation significantly increased the maximum and relative grip strength under the cold condition. Compared to the Con group, the Kon group exhibited a longer time to exhaustion in the cold condition (P < 0.05) and a significantly lower rate of lactate accumulation (P<0.05). The Co_Kon group showed a significant increase in BAT weight and lipid droplet depletion in adipocytes and the core temperature following cold exposure was elevated. The protein levels of GPR120, p38 MAPK, PGC-1α, and UCP1 in BAT were significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusion The compound krill oil nutritional preparation effectively enhances BAT generation and increases the expressions of GPR120, p38 MAPK, PGC-1α, and UCP1 proteins, leading to improved exercise capacity in cold-exposed mice.

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cold exposure / krill oil / exercise capacity / brown adipose tissue / mice

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TAO Meng-di, ZHANG Yu-xian, GAO Yu-tong, GUO Chang-jiang, YU Li-xia, YAO Zhan-xin. EFFECT OF A COMPOUND KRILL OIL NUTRITIONAL PREPARATION ON EXERCISE CAPACITY IN COLD-EXPOSED MICE AND ITS POTENTIAL MECHANISMS[J]. Acta Nutrimenta Sinica. 2026, 48(2): 141-148

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