Ricardo F. Colmenero

Updated Monday, March 18, 2024-10:31

It was seen coming.

Although doctors have long prescribed exercise to improve and protect health, in the near future, a pill could offer the same benefits.

Researchers have just discovered new digestible compounds that seem capable of imitating physical exercise although, for now,

the only ones that are going to skip the gym are rodents.

It's not just about sport.

The discovery could lead to a new way to treat

muscle atrophy, heart failure or neurodegenerative diseases.

The results of this research were just presented at the spring meeting of the

American Chemical Society

.

"Exercise benefits both the mind and the body, we cannot replace exercise and it remains important at all levels," said Bahaa Elgendy, professor of anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and researcher. main of the project.

Therefore, "

if I can exercise, I should continue doing it, but there are many, many cases where it is not possible and a substitute is needed

."

A drug could mimic its effects and compensate for the muscle atrophy and weakness that often occurs as people

age or are affected by cancer, genetic inheritance or any other condition that prevents them from engaging in regular physical activity.

According to Elgendy, it could also counteract the effects of other drugs, such as new weight-loss medications, which cause loss of both fat and muscle.

The metabolic changes associated with exercise begin with the activation of specialized proteins, known as estrogen-related receptors (ERR), which come in three forms: ERR, ERR, and ERR.

After about a decade of work, Elgendy and his colleagues developed

a compound called SLU-PP-332

, which activates all three forms, including the most challenging target, ERR.

This type of ERR regulates exercise-induced stress adaptation and other important physiological processes in muscles.

In experiments with mice, the team found that this compound increased a type of fatigue-resistant muscle fiber, while also

improving the animals' endurance when running on a rodent treadmill.

To identify SLU-PP-332, the researchers examined the structure of ERRs and how they bind to the molecules that activate them.

Then, to improve their discovery and develop variations that could be patented, Elgendy and her team designed new molecules to strengthen the interaction with the receptors and thus provoke a stronger response than what SLU-PP-332 can provide.

In developing the new compounds, the team also optimized the molecules for other desirable characteristics, such as stability and low potential for toxicity.

The team compared the potency of SLU-PP-332 with that of the new compounds by looking at RNA, a measure of gene expression, of about

15,000 genes in rat cardiac muscle cells.

The new compounds caused a greater increase in the presence of RNA, suggesting that they more potently mimic the effects of exercise.

Research using SLU-PP-332 suggests that targeting ERRs could be useful against specific diseases.

Animal studies with this preliminary compound indicate that it could have

a benefit against obesity, heart failure or deterioration of kidney function with age.

The results of the updated research suggest that the new compounds could have similar effects.

ERR activity also appears to counteract harmful processes that occur in the brain in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative conditions.

While SLU-PP-332 cannot pass into the brain, some of the new compounds were developed to do so.

"In all of these conditions, ERRs play an important role," says Elgendy.

"If you have a compound that can activate them effectively, you could generate many beneficial effects."

Elgendy and his colleagues hope to test the new compounds in animal models through Pelagos Pharmaceuticals, a new company they co-founded.

They are also studying the possibility of developing compounds as

possible treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.