Urolithin A Offers A New Possibility For Age-related Muscle Decline

An innovative life science institution published a collaborative paper with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in the journal Nature Medicine, confirming that the lead product candidate, urolithin A, can improve mitochondrial and muscle function, improving muscle strength and endurance during aging. Amazentis is currently evaluating urolithin A in a first human clinical trial, with results expected in 2017.

Urolithin A is produced by the gut flora and is a natural metabolite of ellagitannins, a class of compounds found in pomegranates and some other fruits and nuts. EPFL Professor Johan Auwerx, lead author of the paper, said: "We are excited to publish the first data demonstrating the effect of this gut metabolite on mitochondrial and muscle function. We consider this study to be the latest in antiaging research. A milestone in the work, which has previously focused on traditional drug therapy, it demonstrates the opportunity for some rigorously tested nutraceutical bioactives that we believe have excellent potential for human health."

Urolithin A: A Potent Gut Metabolite That Restores Mitochondria and Reverses Muscle Aging Oral urolithin A improves mitochondrial function by stimulating a process called mitophagy.

Patrick Aebischer, co-author of the paper, co-founder and chair of Amazentis, and dean of EPFL, said: "As we age with reduced mitophagy in cells, decreased mitochondrial function in older muscles is thought to be responsible for age-related muscle damage. One of the main reasons. Our research has revealed the health benefits of urolithin A, which we believe offers new hope for reversing muscle aging.

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Loss of skeletal muscle mass and the resulting loss of muscle strength is a hallmark of aging. These changes can be debilitating, leading to a disease called sarcopenia, a clinical syndrome thought to affect 30 percent of people over 60 and more than 50 percent of people over 80.

Loss of quality of life and independence due to muscle loss constitutes a growing health care problem in the aging population. There is currently no drug therapy for age-related muscle decline and sarcopenia. So far, nutritional strategies have had only limited impact, and there is an urgent need for new, scientifically validated strategies.

After drinking pomegranate juice, compounds called ellagitannins are broken down in the stomach and subsequently converted to urolithin A by gut bacteria. Studies have confirmed that this biotransformation varies widely among individuals, with some showing high or low rates of transformation, while others have different microbiota compositions that are unable to accomplish this transformation. Therefore, supplementing an individual with a product to deliver standardized doses of urolithin A could overcome this natural diversity in the gut microbiota of the general population

An innovative life science institution published a collaborative paper with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in the journal Nature Medicine, confirming that the lead product candidate, urolithin A, can improve mitochondrial and muscle function, improving muscle strength and endurance during aging. Amazentis is currently evaluating urolithin A in a first human clinical trial, with results expected in 2017.

Urolithin A is produced by the gut flora and is a natural metabolite of ellagitannins, a class of compounds found in pomegranates and some other fruits and nuts. EPFL Professor Johan Auwerx, lead author of the paper, said: "We are excited to publish the first data demonstrating the effect of this gut metabolite on mitochondrial and muscle function. We consider this study to be the latest in antiaging research. A milestone in the work, which has previously focused on traditional drug therapy, it demonstrates the opportunity for some rigorously tested nutraceutical bioactives that we believe have excellent potential for human health."

Oral urolithin A improves mitochondrial function by stimulating a process called mitophagy.

Patrick Aebischer, co-author of the paper, co-founder and chair of Amazentis and dean of EPFL, said: "As we age with reduced mitophagy in cells, the decline in mitochondrial function in older muscle is thought to be responsible for age-related muscle damage. One of the main reasons. Our study uncovered the health benefits of urolithin A, which we believe offers new hope for reversing muscle aging."

Loss of skeletal muscle mass and the resulting loss of muscle strength is a hallmark of aging. These changes can be debilitating, leading to a disease called sarcopenia, a clinical syndrome thought to affect 30 percent of people over 60 and more than 50 percent of people over 80.

Loss of quality of life and independence due to muscle loss constitutes a growing health care problem in the aging population. There is currently no drug therapy for age-related muscle decline and sarcopenia. So far, nutritional strategies have had only limited impact, and there is an urgent need for new, scientifically validated strategies.

After drinking pomegranate juice, compounds called ellagitannins are broken down in the stomach and subsequently converted to urolithin A by gut bacteria. Studies have confirmed that this biotransformation varies widely among individuals, with some showing high or low rates of transformation, while others have different microbiota compositions that are unable to accomplish this transformation. Therefore, supplementing an individual with a product to deliver standardized doses of urolithin A could overcome this natural diversity in the gut microbiota of the general population.