ATP+ Formula nurtures Spleen Qi. It helps enhance ATP production by the mitochondria through increasing the amounts of mitochondrial cytochromes (cyt a, cyt b, cyt c, cyt c1), as well as the levels of cytochrome oxidases. It also helps repair the damage of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that encodes the cytochrome oxidases.
Mitochondria are subcellular organelles responsible for the generation of energy and ATP synthesis. During the aging process, mitochondria may also undergo many defective changes causing decline in mitochondrial function. With age, mitochondrial biogenesis declines resulting in reduced number of mitochondria. Other changes may involve decreases in DNA volume, integrity, and functionality, accumulation of mutations, and oxidative damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). These changes can cause impaired mitochondrial function with lowered oxidative capacity, reduced oxidative phosphorylation, decreased ATP production, significant increase in ROS generation, and diminished antioxidant defense.
Mitochondria have their own DNA; however, it encodes only 1% of the approximately 1,000 mitochondrial proteins. A vast majority of mitochondrial proteins are encoded by nuclear DNA. MtDNA has a higher rate of mutation than nuclear DNA because of its proximity to the respiratory chain in the mitochondrial inner membrane, the lack of protective histone-like proteins, and less efficient repair machinery against damage. The mutation rate of mtDNA is up to 15-fold higher than that of nuclear DNA. The integrity of mtDNA declines with age and leads to aberrant expression of electron transport chain proteins, thereby impairing the generation of energy and ATP synthesis. Decline of ATP production can have a broad-spectrum effect on the body’s metabolism especially in the tissues with high energy demands including brain, heart, and muscle, and can cause cognitive decline, reduced heart output and muscle weakness.
Cytochrome c oxidase in mt is one of the enzymes affected by the mtDNA mutation. The cytochrome c oxidase is the last enzyme in the mt respiratory electron transport chain located in the mitochondrial membrane. It receives an electron and transports four protons across the membrane, increasing the transmembrane difference of proton electrochemical potential, which the ATP synthase then uses to synthesize ATP. Human cytochrome c oxidase is composed of 13 subunits. The three major subunits, subunit I, II, and III form the catalytic core and are encoded by mtDNA. The remaining subunits are encoded by nuclear DNA. The mutation of mtDNA can cause defects on the three subunits of cytochrome c oxidase.
The cytochrome bc1 complex (bc1) is another mt protein affected by the mtDNA mutation. Cytochrome bc1 complex is the mid-segment of the cellular respiratory chain of mitochondria that drives protons across the mitochondrial membrane. It is composed of 11 subunits. Among them the cytochrome b gene is coded by the mtDNA and therefore the mutation of mtDNA can cause defects on the cytochrome bc1 complex.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, these defective changes in mitochondria during the aging process is associated with Spleen deficiencies. Research using rats as animal models have founded that herbal ingredients in ATP+ that nurtures the Spleen can help ameliorate the defects and therefore increase the activities of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidases.
The research used forty rats which were divided into four groups including normal control, and three treatment groups. The three treatment groups were all fed with agents which induces diarrhea for 26 weeks to establish a Spleen deficiency condition followed by 4 weeks of continued diarrhea inducing agent for Spleen Deficiency Group, 4 weeks of regular food as control group for natural Recovery group, and 4 weeks normal food plus ATP+ for ATP treatment group. Among the three groups, the 1st group continues the agents for 4 weeks, the 2nd group stop giving the agents to allow natural recovery for 4 weeks, and the 3rd group was fed the herbal ingredients of ATP+ for 4 weeks.
At the end of the 4 weeks, the amount of Cytochrome a, b, c and c1 as well as cytochrome c oxidase (10mmol/g) in the rat liver, cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, gastric mucosa in all four groups was analyzed. The results showed that the amount of Cytochrome a, c, and C1 of the ATP+ treated group are higher than the other three groups including the Healthy Controls.
These results indicated that ATP+ is able to increase the amount of Cytochrome a, b, c, c1 as well as the Cytochrome c oxidase. ATP+ is also able to help repair and prevent mtDNA damage.
Clinically, people who have used ATP+ have reported increased energy, accelerated recovery of muscle injury and quicker recovery after work out. People can have the feelable changes after initial use for a couple of days and will have significant changes after one week. It is recommended to take it as a wellness product to maintain mitochondrial health and to support a healthy aging process.
