Standardized astragalus extract for attenuation of the immunosuppression induced by strenuous physical exercise: randomized controlled trial

Figures & data

Table 1 Basic characteristics of the study groups

Table 2 Training schedule for the week preceding blood sampling during the first and second examination

Table 3 Changes in 2000 m rowing ergometer performance before and after supplementation

Fig. 1 Relative changes in concentration of IL4, Treg, and Treg/Tδγ between initial states before and after training periods (I-I), between initial and after exertion states (I-E), and between initial and after restitution states (I-R). (I-I) levels of Treg were sustained with an intensive decrease of IL4 (I-I) in the supplemented subgroup, in contrast to an increase of Treg for the placebo subgroup. The post-camp Treg/Tδγ ratio (d = 0.86, p = 0.09) was relatively lower in the supplement subgroup as compared to placebo subgroup

Fig. 2 Relative changes in concentration of CTL, NK, and Tδγ between initial states before and after training period (I-I), between initial and after exertion states (I-E), and between initial and after restitution states (I-R). The before and after camp-training baseline levels of NK were sustained in the supplemented subgroup, in contrast to a decrease of NK for the placebo subgroup. The intensification trend in the supplemental Tδγ increased

Fig. 3 Relative changes in concentration of IL2, IL10, and IL2/IL10 between initial states before and after training period (I-I), between initial and after exertion states (I-E), and between initial and after restitution states (I-R). The directions of IL2 changes are mutually opposite in the subgroups and at both study points after exertion test (I-E – I-R). The changes in IL2 induced by exertion (I-E) are similar to the changes in IL10 induced by restitution (I-R); the mutual relations of these changes determine the changes in the IL2 / IL10 index. The post-exertion IL2 decrease (d = 1.22, p = 0.02) generates greater IL2/IL10 ratio (d = 1.61, p < 0.01) after recovery

Fig. 4 Relative changes in concentration of IL2 between initial (I-I), exertion (E-E), and restitution (R-R) states before and after training period, with their 95% confidence intervals. In the supplemented subgroup, absolute post-exertion IL2 levels (E-E) remained similar to those before the training, but increased in the control subgroup

Table 4 Relative changes in concentration of IL-2 in the initial (I-I), post-exertion (E-E), and restitution (R-R) states between before- and after training period

Scheme A1 Diagram of analyses. The figures in the diagram represent: 1) the measurement data sets obtained in the initial state (I), after effort (E) and after restitution (R); 2) the relative changes between them (I-E, I-R) in one measuring session; 3) the relative changes between the 1st and the 2nd measuring session (I-I, I-E, I-R); and 4) the resulting differences between before-after relative changes or values in initial states for the supplemented and the placebo group (green ovals)

Availability of data and materials

The datasets during and/or analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.