NEW EXPERIMENTAL-MODEL FOR THE EVALUATION OF ADAPTOGENIC PRODUCTS

A new animal model for evaluating improvement in physical work performance and endurance in an adverse environment is described. In this model, rats in restraint were exposed to 5°C at 480 mmHg atmospheric pressure. Results were compared to an animal forced to swim in water at 23°C. In both the models, colonie temperature (Tr) of the rats was continually monitored during exposure to adverse environment and during recovery at 32°C and normal atmospheric pressure. The time and pattern for Tr fall to 23°C and its recovery to 37°C were used as measures of endurance. The cold-hypoxia-restraint model was found to provide more precise results compared with the cold-swimming model. Panax ginseng root and Ginkgo biloba leaf extracts were compared for their positive endurance-promoting properties using both models. © 1990.