Dietary Plant Extracts in Improving Skeletal Muscle Development and Metabolic Function

ABSTRACT

Skeletal muscle is a critical tissue for physiological activity and energy utilization, and its insulin resistance is indispensable for the development of Type 2 diabetes. Dietary intervention has become one of efficient methods for enhancing metabolic health of skeletal muscle. Plant extracts from fruits, tea, vegetables, and Chinese herbal medicine, have been demonstrated to enhance myogenesis, reduce muscle atrophy, and improve muscle oxidative functions. In this review, the current knowledge about plant extracts and their application in the management of skeletal muscle development and metabolic function are discussed. The possible underlying mechanisms are also described. Based on existing literature, dietary plant extract supplementation is a promising method of maintaining skeletal muscle mass and alleviating muscle-related metabolic diseases.

KEYWORDS:

• Plant extracts
• skeletal muscle
• metabolic function
• polyphenols
• terpenoids
• alkaloids

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

Jinzhu Xing: conceptualization, writing-original draft, funding acquisition. Hanning Wang: conceptualization, writing-original draft, writing-review, funding acquisition. Min Du: Writing-review & editing.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was funded by the Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China [grant number 2020BS03022 and 2020BS03003], the Science and Technology Major Project of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China to the State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock [grant number 2021ZD0048], and Research Foundation for Advanced Talents of Inner Mongolia University [grant number 30500-5205160].