Abstract: Background: Ursolic acid (UA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid carboxylic acid which is extracted from plants. UA may enhance the effect of resistance training (RT) in human. Objective: Current research was designed to show the effect of high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) in the presence or absence of UA on the serum levels of irisin, CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α in the low activity men. Method: The study included twenty-two healthy male HIRT with placebo, supplementation, and HIRT in the presence of UA supplementation. The two groups received eight-week intervention including 2 sets of 8 exercises, with 8∼10 repetitions at 70∼75% of 1 repetition maximum and a 2 min rest interval between sets, performed 3 times/week. Placebo or UA orally was evaluated as 1 capsule 3 times/day during 8 weeks. The subsequent factors were measured post- and preintervention: C-reactive protein (CRP), irisin, tumor necrotic factor (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Results: UA supplementation significantly increased the plasma levels of irisin in the HIRT+UA group versus the HIRT+P group (p<0.05). UA treatment also dramatically decreased the plasma levels of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α in the HIRT+UA group versus the HIRT+P group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The current data showed that UA-induced an increase in serum irisin and reduction of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α may have beneficial effects as a chemical for increasing of the effects of HIRT in low activity men.

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