The hot water extract and active components nicotinamide and guanosine of the leather carp Cyprinus carpio nudis improve exercise performance in mice.

We identified the main active, exercise performance-enhancing compounds in a hot water extract of the leather carp, Cyprinus carpio nudus, as nicotinamide and guanosine. Mice were fed casein (30 mg/ml) enriched with nicotinamide (0.1 mg/ml) and guanosine (0.05 mg/ml) once daily for a week at 10 µl/g body weight. Swimming endurance (57%) and forelimb grip strength (21%) were increased significantly. The diet had little effect on body weight. After the swimming exercise, the blood glucose and superoxide dismutase levels were significantly higher (137% and 131%, respectively) than in the saline controls. The blood lactate level was 90% of that in the controls. The estimated amount of nicotinamide in the carp fillet was 26.2 mg/kg. These results suggest that the triple combination of casein with nicotinamide and guanosine improves exercise performance and delays the onset of fatigue, supporting the traditional use of carp extract in healthcare as a tonic soup. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The triple-combination of casein (30 mg/ml) + nicotinamide (0.1 mg/ml) + guanosine (0.05 mg/ml) significantly enhanced the exercise performance and anti-fatigue in mice, supporting the traditional use of carp extract in healthcare as a tonic soup.