Study of the anti-fatigue properties of macamide, a key component in maca water extract, through foodomics and gut microbial genomics

Lepidium meyenii Walp. is a type of food used to fight fatigue, and macamides is the key anti-fatigue component in Lepidium meyenii Walp. water extract (Maca). The mechanisms of action of several foods with anti-fatigue properties lie in the oxidative balance of tissues; however, little attention has been given to the microbiome. The gut microbial community is closely related to dietary choices, as well as exercise-induced skeletal muscle fatigue. As such, this study used a foodomics approach to analyze the anti-fatigue properties of maca amide, a key component in maca, on the gut microbiome. The key components in maca were identified, and after validation in a mouse model, an analysis of the gut microbiome was performed. The results of database searches and network analyses showed that the key anti-fatigue component of maca was N-benzyl-9Z, 12Z-octadecadienamide (Mm). Further analyses revealed that the key microbes metabolizing Mm belonged to Alistipes, Alloprevotella, Parabacteroides, and Butyricimonas genera and the Prevotellaceae in mice. The results of microbial analysis showed that Mm could improve exercise-induced skeletal muscle fatigue in mice by modulating the L-glutamate-ornithine-proline axis through the breakdown of histidine, arginine, and proline. Therefore, from foodomics and gut microbial genomics perspectives, this study demonstrates that macamide is the key anti-fatigue component in maca, and these findings provide new insights for the development of foods that fight fatigue.