The activity of cerebral cortex-derived phosphatidylserine (BC-PS) on neuroendocrine and neurovegetative responses to physical stress was tested in 8 healthy men who underwent three experiments with a bicycle ergometer.
Following a double-blind design, each subject received 50 or 75 mg BC-PS intravenously or a volume-adjusted placebo diluted in 100 ml saline within 10 minutes before the start of exercise. Blood samples for plasma epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), cortisol, growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), and glucose determinations were obtained before and after exercise. Blood pressure and heart rate were also recorded. Physical stress caused a significant increase in plasma E, NE, ACTH, cortisol, GH, and PRL, whereas no significant change was observed in plasma DA and glucose.
Pretreatment with both 50 and 75 mg BC-PS significantly blunted ACTH and cortisol responses to physical stress.
Neuroendocrinology: Effects of phosphatidylserine on the neuroendocrine response to physical stress in humans
