A pill can provide the same benefits as exercise

It’s more than just saying that exercise is good for your health: it improves heart health, controls weight, strengthens muscles and bones, improves mental health, increases energy and stamina, Reduces the risk of chronic diseases and improves the quality of life in general.

But sometimes there are factors that get in the way exercise, Such as time, fatigue or perhaps a medical condition that prevents this. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis spent 10 years thinking about all those To create compounds that are able to mimic the benefits of exercise, and they appear to be very close to achieving this.

The researchers report Monday at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). New compounds that appear to be able to mimic the physical impulse of exercise, At least within rodents’ cells.

about this SLU-PP-332 compound, Which activates estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) essential for metabolism and muscle growth, mimicking the effects of exercise.

Estrogen-related receptors are a class of specialized proteins that play an important role in regulating energy metabolism and muscle function. These receptors are activated by certain signals, such as physical exercise, and trigger a series of metabolic changes in the muscles.

There are three main types of estrogen-related receptors: ERRα, ERRβ, and ERRγ. Each of these receptors has specific functions and can influence different aspects of muscle metabolism and response to exercise.

When a person exercises, the activity levels of these receptors may increase. Specifically, ERRα has been identified as a key mediator in improving the metabolic response to exercise and the ability of muscles to generate energy.

The compound SLU-PP-332 developed by Elgendi and his team is able to activate all three types of ERRs, thus mimicking the effects of exercise on these proteins.

In experiments with rats, the team found that the compound increased a type of fatigue-resistant muscle fiber as well as improved the animals’ endurance when the rodents ran on a treadmill.

“We cannot replace exercise; “Exercise is important at all levels,” Baha Elgendi, the project’s principal investigator and professor of anesthesiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said in a statement. “If I can exercise, I should move and do physical activity. But there are many cases that require an alternative.”

The idea is to combine the ability of exercise to improve muscle cell metabolism and growth, as well as muscle performance, into one drug.

imitate these effects May compensate for muscle atrophy and weakness that can occur as people age or are affected by cancer, Some genetic conditions or other reasons that prevent them from engaging in regular physical activity. According to Elgendy, it may also counteract the effects of other drugs, such as new weight loss drugs that cause the loss of both fat and muscle.

The team compared the efficacy of SLU-PP-332 to the new compounds by looking at RNA, measuring gene expression of approximately 15,000 genes in rat heart muscle cells. The new compounds showed greater increases in the presence of RNA, suggesting they more effectively simulate the effects of exercise, the statement said.

“These drug targets cannot be treated, and if we could do so, “This could help in the development of treatments for some of the most challenging diseases we face today, such as neurodegenerative diseases and heart failure.” Elgendy said in a video for the American Chemical Society.

ERR activity appears to counteract damaging processes in the brain in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. While SLU-PP-332 cannot get into the brain, some new compounds were developed to do so.

“In all of these situations, ERRs play an important role,” Elgendy said. “If you have a compound that can activate them effectively, you can produce many beneficial effects.”