2024-07-26 12:40:32
The new pill mimics the effects of physical activity on our body
For now, the new treatment has only been tested in animal models.
Half a year ago, the creators of a pill The results of their study on mice were encouraging. The team has now presented these results to the American Chemical Society and the question is: What exactly will this pill be used for?
SLU-PP-332 is the somewhat forgettable name of this drug currently in the trial phase. This compound speeds up our metabolism, “tricking” our body into thinking we are exercising. “This compound is basically telling skeletal muscle to make the same changes you see during resistance training,” explained Thomas Burris, a member of the team responsible for developing the drug.
The compound interacts with ERR proteins (estrogen receptor-related receptors), a group of three proteins (ERRα, ERRβ and ERRγ) that are activated through exercise.
According to the developers, SLU-PP-332 is able to interact with all three forms of ERR, including alpha, with alpha being the most challenging. This protein is the one that regulates adaptation to stress caused by exercise, as well as other physiological muscle processes of some relevance, they point out.
The key, however, is in the target audience of this treatment. This pill is not created to save us the trip to the gym, but rather it is intended to help people with difficulties in physical activityto help them obtain the benefits associated with this practice.
The door may not be completely closed to the general public, though. “There are so many people, like myself, who are lazy and don’t like exercise (…) lazy people like me can benefit from these drugs,” explained (perhaps more jokingly than seriously) Bahaa Elgendy, the project’s principal investigator, who was in charge of the presentation to the ACS.
On a more serious note, the expert stressed that for those who can, physical exercise will continue to be recommended. “But there are so many cases where a substitute is necessary.” Elgendy gave the example of children affected by mobility problems such as those caused by Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Another possible group that could benefit is older people who have lost mobility over the years.
BY: XATAKA