Getting older often means losing muscle strength and movement. Many older adults notice that everyday activities such as climbing stairs, carrying shopping bags, or getting up from a chair become more difficult over time.
This age-related muscle loss also increases the risk of falls, broken bones, loss of independence, and a lower quality of life. Scientists have long searched for ways to slow or even reverse this natural decline.
Now, researchers at Kyushu University in Japan have discovered a promising molecule that may help muscles repair themselves more effectively. Their findings were published in Scientific Reports.
Skeletal muscle has a remarkable ability to heal after injury. Hidden inside muscle tissue are special stem cells called satellite cells that remain inactive until they are needed. When muscles are damaged through injury or exercise, these cells wake up, multiply, and help rebuild healthy muscle fibres.
A protein called hepatocyte growth factor, or HGF, plays a central role in this repair process. HGF acts like an alarm signal that tells satellite cells it is time to start repairing muscle. It does this by attaching to a receptor called c-Met on the surface of the stem cells.
The problem is that ageing changes HGF. Earlier work by the same research team showed that a chemical process called nitration alters two important parts of the HGF protein. After this change, HGF can no longer attach properly to the c-Met receptor. Without this connection, muscle stem cells receive a much weaker repair signal, making it harder for ageing muscles to recover.
The researchers wondered whether powerful antioxidant compounds could protect HGF from this damage. They tested two sulphur-containing molecules called glutathione trisulfide and lipoic acid trisulfide, also known as GSSSG and LASSS. Both compounds reduced the amount of nitration affecting HGF during laboratory experiments.
However, only LASSS produced an unexpected result. When researchers increased the amount of LASSS, HGF not only resisted damage but also attached to its receptor more than twice as strongly as untreated HGF. The scientists described this enhanced form as ‘Super HGF’ because it delivered a much stronger repair signal.
The team believes LASSS changes the structure of HGF in a helpful way rather than simply acting as an antioxidant. This stronger form of HGF may allow muscle stem cells to respond more effectively even when ageing would normally reduce muscle repair.
To see whether the discovery could work in living tissue, the scientists tested LASSS in mice with muscle wasting caused by reduced movement. Animals treated with LASSS had much lower levels of HGF damage than untreated mice, suggesting the protective effect was not limited to laboratory experiments.
Although the findings are encouraging, the work is still at an early stage. The experiments were mainly performed in the laboratory and in mice, so researchers still need long-term studies in ageing animals and eventually in people. Safety, dosage, and long-term benefits must all be carefully tested before any new treatment becomes available.
In my view, this study is exciting because it focuses on restoring the body’s own muscle repair system instead of simply treating symptoms. If future studies confirm these findings, LASSS could become a new approach for reducing age-related muscle loss, helping people recover after long periods of bed rest, and perhaps even improving muscle health in companion animals.
The discovery offers fresh hope for healthier ageing but should be viewed as an important first step rather than an immediate treatment.
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Source: Kyushu University.
