A new study finds that a daily single oral dose of an
investigational drug, MK-677, increased muscle mass in the arms and
legs of healthy older adults without serious side effects, suggesting
that it may prove safe and effective in reducing age-related frailty.
(Credit: iStockphoto/Glenn Bo)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 5, 2008) —
Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System report that a
daily single oral dose of an investigational drug, MK-677, increased
muscle mass in the arms and legs of healthy older adults without serious
side effects, suggesting that it may prove safe and effective in
reducing age-related frailty.
Published in the November 4, 2008 issue of Annals of Internal
Medicine, the study showed that levels of growth hormone (GH) and of
insulin-like growth factor I (IGF- I) in seniors who took MK-677
increased to those found in healthy young adults. The drug restored 20
percent of muscle mass loss associated with normal aging.
"Our study opens the door to the possibility of developing treatments
that avert the frailty of aging," explains Dr. Michael O. Thorner, a
nationally recognized researcher of growth hormone regulation and a
professor of internal medicine and neurosurgery at UVA. "The search for
anti-frailty medications has become increasingly important because the
average American is expected to live into his or her 80s, and most
seniors want to stay strong enough to remain independent as they age."
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the two-year,
double-blind, placebo-controlled, modified-crossover study involved 65
men and women ranging in age from 60 to 81.
The study drug, MK-677, mimics the action of ghrelin, a peptide that
stimulates the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR). Drug
developers are focusing on GHSR because it plays an important role in
the regulation of growth hormone and appetite. They think it may prove
to be an excellent treatment target for metabolic disorders such as
those related to body weight and body composition.
According to Dr. Thorner, the UVA research was a "proof-of-concept"
study that sets the stage for a larger and longer clinical trial to
determine whether MK-677 is effective in people who are frail and to
assess its long term safety.
