This technology features a pharmaceutical composition using Dichotomine B as an active ingredient to prevent, improve, and treat muscle atrophy and sarcopenia. It also includes food and pet/livestock feed compositions containing the same ingredient.
Skeletal muscle mass decreases by approximately 8% every decade starting at age 40, and by 15% in one's 70s. Muscle atrophy caused by aging, disuse, or conditions like cancer, diabetes, and sepsis significantly lowers quality of life by increasing the risk of falls, fractures, and metabolic diseases. While atrophy is driven by a decline in the mTOR protein synthesis pathway and an increase in degradation factors like MAFbx and MuRF1, successful development of synthetic drugs targeting these pathways has been extremely rare.
This technology leverages the ability of Dichotomine B—previously identified as a neuroinflammation regulator—to increase muscle fiber thickness in myotubes and enhance muscle mass and strength in animal models. It targets conditions such as disuse atrophy, denervation-induced atrophy, cachexia, drug-induced or nutritional deficiency-induced atrophy, and muscular dystrophy. It can be formulated into capsules, tablets, powders, liquids, jellies, or bars. Applicable as a treatment for geriatric sarcopenia, a preventative supplement for long-term bedridden or casted patients, and a functional feed for aging pets, this synthetically mass-producible compound helps slow muscle loss and accelerate strength recovery.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of a method for identifying compound combinations with equivalent efficacy representing the overall activity of natural products.
US2026-0158094A1, WO2024-258147A1
