This technology provides pharmaceutical compositions for preventing and treating muscle atrophy, and food compositions for preventing and improving sarcopenia, using extracts of the herbal medicine Stephania tetrandra or its active components, sinomenine and acutumine. These components increase the expression and activity of proteins involved in muscle protein synthesis, preventing muscle fiber thinning.
Muscle atrophy is a condition where muscle size and mass decrease due to aging, diseases like cancer or sepsis, exposure to stress hormones, or prolonged bed rest, creating a vicious cycle where muscle weakness leads to falls, fractures, and metabolic disorders. While Stephania tetrandra was known for treating rheumatism and hyperlipidemia, its use for muscle loss lacked evidence, and there was a shortage of natural, low-side-effect materials for muscle atrophy.
This technology enables extraction using various solvents like water or lower alcohols combined with edible acids such as acetic or citric acid, with a formulation that uses a higher ratio of sinomenine to acutumine. It targets muscle atrophy caused by disuse, lack of mechanical stimulation, and denervation. Applicable to geriatric sarcopenia supplements, muscle loss prevention for hospitalized or casted patients, and senior muscle-strengthening foods, it helps maintain muscle mass with reduced side-effect risks.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research into natural materials for improving skeletal muscle loss.
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