(ETX Daily Up) – Japanese researchers have developed a pill that can replicate the positive effects of physical activity on muscles and bones. Still in the test phase on mice, this device could help treatments related to locomotor fragility.
It is well known that a sedentary lifestyle is devastating in terms of health. It leads to “cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes, which makes it one of the main risk factors for death”, recall, in the preamble to their studies, researchers from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU ).
However, physical activity is not always possible in people with cerebrovascular disease or dementia. Currently, a long-term bedridden patient undergoes several treatments to strengthen both his muscles and his bones. “Taking multiple medications increases the risk of adverse events,” warns the specialists in their study.
Conversely, regular physical activity causes a feeling of well-being and helps strengthen muscles and bones. It is on these last two points that the Japanese researchers have focused their work. published in the journal Bone Research.
To do this, specialists have identified locamidazole, an aminoindazole derivative, also called LAMZ. The latter causes stimulates muscle growth and the cells responsible for bone formation, called osteoblasts. Clearly, this molecule is able to deceive our muscles by sending a signal similar to that sent during a sports session.
This pill was tested on mice with sarcopenia (weak muscles) and osteoporosis (weak bones) when taken orally. The first results are encouraging. “We were delighted to find that the LAMZ-treated mice exhibited greater muscle fiber width, greater peak muscle strength, higher rate of bone formation, and lower bone resorption activity,” features Dr. Takehito Ono, the study’s lead author, in a statement.
This drug appears as a potential treatment for the treatment of locomotor fragility.