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| COMMENTARY |
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| Year : 2015 | Volume
: 35
| Issue : 1 | Page : 32-33 |
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"Evaluation of Ratnaprash for its effect on strength, stamina and fatigue using swim endurance test and biochemical estimation in Swiss albino mice": Comments from the editorial board
Editorial Board
Editorial Board, Ancient Science of Life
| Date of Web Publication | 18-Sep-2015 |
Correspondence Address:
 Source of Support: Nil., Conflict of Interest: There are no conflicts of interest  | Check |
How to cite this article:
Board E. "Evaluation of Ratnaprash for its effect on strength, stamina and fatigue using swim endurance test and biochemical estimation in Swiss albino mice": Comments from the editorial board. Ancient Sci Life 2015;35:32-3 |
How to cite this URL:
Board E. "Evaluation of Ratnaprash for its effect on strength, stamina and fatigue using swim endurance test and biochemical estimation in Swiss albino mice": Comments from the editorial board. Ancient Sci Life [serial online] 2015 [cited 2023 Mar 28];35:32-3. Available from: https://www.ancientscienceoflife.org/text.asp?2015/35/1/32/165630 |
The in-vivo study on a poly herbal ayurvedic lehya formulation,[1]Ratnaprash has provided interesting data on its effect in the Swim endurance test model in Swiss Albino mice. This model primarily looks at effect of a study material on CNS activity, and impact of providing energy through nutrition on (strength, stamina and fatigue) performance of animals.[2],[3] Study materials that show anti anxiety activity or enhancing stress tolerance show positive results in this model and is a commonly adopted model for evaluation of many herbs or products known in ayurveda.[4] Concurrently it is common knowledge that lack of nutrition, lack of energy, deprivation of food has adverse impact on (strength, stamina and fatigue) performance [5] as measured by Swim endurance test. A number of studies amongst sports persons have shown that providing additional nutrition and energy through administration of dextrose, sugar solution and supplements that provide protein, carbohydrate impacts on improved (strength, stamina and fatigue) performance.[6] The proximate analysis reported of the study product shows that it provides 77.3%w/w carbohydrate out of which 65.2%w/w is from total sugar content. About 320 Kcal/100 g is the energy provided by the product, while content of fat, proteins are not appreciably higher levels. The study product has rich content of Amla along with 42 herbs, and other ingredients, many of which are known to provide immunomodulatory activity, enhancement of stress tolerance activity amongst other benefits.
The protocol adopted compares the study product with DMSO/water as control which does not meet the requirements of a good study. Testing effects of any study material against DMSO/water can be expected to yield positive results, as the comparator is "nil/nothing". The effects shown by the study product should have been compared with positive controls selected appropriately. Authors in their response to the reviewer's comments stated "we are in an agreement with the learned reviewers/editors' concern. However the current study is an experimental study to evaluate strength and stamina enhancing properties of an ayurvedic poly herbal preparation. There is no standard control available for such type of outcomes unlike diseased conditions". Researchers evaluating ayurvedic ingredients normally attempt to use an approved synthetic drug as a positive control for the activity under evaluation, and in this case using an approved anti-depressant or an anti anxiety drug could have been considered. More appropriately positive controls like Aswagandha (Withania somnifera – Rt), Brahmi (Bacopa monniera – Pl), and Tulsi (Oscimum species – L) (only few examples cited here) which are proven to exhibit CNS activity and/or anti stress activity [4],[7],[8] should have been undertaken. Additionally, feeding the Swiss albino mice with appropriate quantity of sugar/carbohydrate equivalent to the content of the test drug fed to animals would have provided scientific insights on the role of sugar/carbohydrate in the study product for enhanced swim endurance in the test animals.
The above underscores the importance of proper planning before undertaking studies on ayurvedic herbs/products, in the interest of maximizing insights on the data generated, adopting standard scientific needs in such study designs.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Gupta A, et al. Evaluation of Ratnaprash for its effect on strength, stamina and fatigue using swim endurance test and biochemical estimation in swiss albino mice. Ancient Science of Life 2015;1:26-31.  |
| 2. | Vogel HG, editor. Drug Discovery and Evaluation: Pharmacological Assays. 3 rd ed., Vol. 1, 2. New York: Springer; 2008. |
| 3. | Gupta SK. Drug Screening Methods – Preclinical Evaluation of New Drugs. 2 nd ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd.; 2009. |
| 4. | Bhattacharya SK, Goel RJ, Kaur R, Ghoshal S. Antistress activity of sitoindosides VII and VIII, New acylsterylglucosides from Withania somnifera. Phytother Res 1987;1:32-7. |
| 5. | Loucks AB. Energy balance and body composition in sports and exercise. J Sports Sci 2004;22:1-14. |
| 6. | Saunders MJ, Kane MD, Todd MK. Effects of a carbohydrate-protein beverage on cycling endurance and muscle damage. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:1233-8. |
| 7. | Bhattacharya SK, Ghosal S. Anxiolytic activity of a standardized extract of Bacopa monniera: An experimental study. Phytomedicine 1998;5:77-82. |
| 8. | Gupta SK, Prakash J, Srivastava S. Validation of traditional claim of Tulsi, Ocimum sanctum Linn. as a medicinal plant. Indian J Exp Biol 2002;40:765-73. |
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