Singh, Amanpreet, Naidu, Pattipati S, Gupta, Saraswati et al. · Journal of medicinal food · 2002 · DOI
This study tested whether antioxidants—substances that reduce cellular damage—could help with fatigue in mice. Researchers used a mouse model of ME/CFS by making mice swim repeatedly, which increased their fatigue-like behavior. Both natural antioxidants (like melatonin and herbal supplements) and synthetic ones reduced this fatigue behavior and restored protective chemicals in the brain.
This study provides mechanistic evidence that oxidative stress—an imbalance in cellular damage and repair—may contribute to ME/CFS pathology, suggesting a biological target for treatment. If oxidative stress is relevant in human ME/CFS, antioxidant therapies could offer a rational treatment approach, though human trials would be necessary to validate efficacy.
This study does not prove that oxidative stress is the primary cause of ME/CFS in humans, nor does it establish that the forced-swim mouse model accurately mimics the disease's full clinical and immunological features. Results in mice do not directly translate to humans without clinical trials. The study cannot distinguish whether oxidative stress is a cause or a consequence of fatigue-like states.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Singh, Amanpreet, Naidu, Pattipati S, Gupta, Saraswati, & Kulkarni, Shrinivas K (2002). Effect of natural and synthetic antioxidants in a mouse model of chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of medicinal food. https://doi.org/10.1089/109662002763003366
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-singh-2002-effect-natural,
author = {Singh, Amanpreet and Naidu, Pattipati S and Gupta, Saraswati and Kulkarni, Shrinivas K},
title = {Effect of natural and synthetic antioxidants in a mouse model of chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of medicinal food},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1089/109662002763003366},
note = {PubMed: 12639396},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/singh-2002-effect-natural},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/singh-2002-effect-natural
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