Cordyceps sinensis is a parasitic fungus known to induce immune responses. The impact of Cordyceps supplementation on stem cell homing and expansion to human skeletal muscle after exercise remains unexplored. In this study, we examined how pre-exercise Cordyceps supplementation influences cell infiltration, CD34⁺ cell recruitment, and Pax7⁺ cell expansion in human skeletal muscle after high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) on a cycloergometer. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study was conducted with 14 young adults (age: 24 ± 0.8 years). A placebo (1 g cornstarch) and Cordyceps (1 g Cordyceps sinensis) were administered before exercise (at 120% maximal aerobic power). Multiple biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis for muscle tissue analysis before and after HIIE. This exercise regimen doubled the VEGF mRNA in the muscle at 3 h post-exercise (P = 0.006). A significant necrotic cell infiltration (+284%, P = 0.05) was observed 3 h after HIIE and resolved within 24 h. This response was substantially attenuated by Cordyceps supplementation. Moreover, we observed increases in CD34⁺ cells at 24 h post-exercise, notably accelerated by Cordyceps supplementation to 3 h (+51%, P = 0.002). This earlier response contributed to a four-fold expansion in Pax7⁺ cell count, as demonstrated by immunofluorescence double staining (CD34⁺/Pax7⁺) (P = 0.01). In conclusion, our results provide the first human evidence demonstrating the accelerated resolution of exercise-induced muscle damage by Cordyceps supplementation. This effect is associated with earlier stem cell recruitment into the damaged sites for muscle regeneration.

中文翻译：

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冬虫夏草可加速运动后干细胞向人体骨骼肌的募集

冬虫夏草是一种已知能诱导免疫反应的寄生真菌。补充冬虫夏草对干细胞归巢和运动后向人体骨骼肌扩张的影响仍有待探索。在这项研究中，我们研究了运动前补充冬虫夏草如何影响在自行车测力计上进行高强度间歇运动 (HIIE) 后人体骨骼肌中的细胞浸润、CD34 ⁺细胞募集和 Pax7 ^{+细胞扩张。}对 14 名年轻人（年龄：24 ± 0.8 岁）进行了一项随机、双盲、安慰剂对照交叉研究。运动前（最大有氧功率为 120%）服用安慰剂（1 g 玉米淀粉）和冬虫夏草（1 g冬虫夏草）。在 HIIE 之前和之后从股外侧肌进行多次活检以进行肌肉组织分析。这种运动方案使运动后 3 小时肌肉中的 VEGF mRNA 增加了一倍 ( P = 0.006)。HIIE 后 3 小时观察到显着的坏死细胞浸润（+284%，P = 0.05），并在 24 小时内消退。补充冬虫夏草可以大大减弱这种反应。此外，我们观察到运动后 24 小时CD34 ⁺细胞增加，补充冬虫夏草后 3 小时明显加速（+51%，P = 0.002）。^{这种早期反应导致 Pax7 +}细胞计数增加四倍，如免疫荧光双染色 (CD34 ⁺ /Pax7 ⁺ ) ( P = 0.01) 所示。总之，我们的研究结果提供了第一个人体证据，证明补充冬虫夏草可以加速解决运动引起的肌肉损伤。这种效应与早期干细胞募集到受损部位以进行肌肉再生有关。