Scientists at the University of Washington have developed a drug called SLU-PP-332. These are pills that have the same effect as hard work in the gym. Medications can mimic the physical effects of exercise and potentially treat conditions such as obesity and muscle atrophy. They can also prevent age-related diseases such as dementia, heart failure, and decreased kidney function.
SLU-PP-332 activates special proteins known as estrogen receptors (ERRs) that are triggered during exercise.
Dr. Bahaa Elgendi, Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Washington and principal investigator of the project, said: “Everyone knows that exercise is extremely beneficial for the body and mind, but not everyone can exercise.” Exercise pills can be useful to mimic or enhance the effect for people who are aging, people with certain diseases, or those who are experiencing muscle loss due to other medications.
“I’m not advocating replacing exercise or anything like that, but so many people like me are lazy and don’t like exercise, or they’re always busy, so these drugs can help them,” the researcher says.
Researchers tested the pills on mice and found that they increased the resistance to fatigue of a type of muscle fiber while improving the animals’ endurance when they ran on a rodent treadmill.
It turns out that the pills also counteract the destructive processes that occur in the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
The new pills may also prevent the effects of other drugs, including the new weight loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, which cause muscle loss as well as fat loss, said Prof. Elgendy.
Metabolic changes associated with exercise cause the activation of specialized proteins known as ERRs, which come in three forms: ERR?, ERR? and ERR?
SLU-PP-332 activates all three forms, including the most difficult ERR target?
This ERR regulates the stress-related physiological responses triggered by exercise and other important physiological processes in the muscles.
The study will be presented at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society.
