In vivo assessment of watermelon (citrullus lanatus) rind juice supplementation on exercise performances and muscle soreness in rats / Nazatul Najwa Newzlan

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a fruit rich in phytonutrients like L-citrulline. Watermelon rind contains more L-citrulline compared to watermelon flesh. However, the effect of supplementation of watermelon rind juice that contain high amount of L-citrulline is still uncertain. 18 male Wistar rats were acclimatized for 2 weeks. Then, rats are classified into 3 groups and it is supplemented with different solution twice a day for 2 weeks; Cx group: filtered tap water, L-cit group: standard L-citrulline, RR group: watermelon rind juice. After 2 weeks of treatment, rats are allowed to swim for 10 minutes in the morning and evening for the first 2 days and swim until exhaustion for the 3rd day. Rats were anesthesized with KTX after 24 hours of the last day of swimming exercise. The blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture and biomarkers assay (lactate and ammonia) was analyzed. Both ammonia and lactate concentration shows no significant difference between all groups (p>0.05). However, supplemented group still able to prolong time to exhaustion during swimming exercise. At the same time, supplemented group able to suppress lactate concentration and effective as ammonia detoxifier. My findings suggest that the supplementation of watermelon rind juice potentially to be nutritional intervention to improve exercise performance.