Scientists have discovered a compound that reverses age-related muscle loss!
As we age, muscles gradually lose strength, elasticity, and the ability to recover ,a decline largely attributed to chemical damage to essential repair proteins.
A groundbreaking study from Kyushu University has identified a promising way to halt this deterioration using a sulfur compound called lipoic acid disulfide (LASSS).
The researchers focused on hepatocyte growth factor (HGF),
a vital protein responsible for activating dormant muscle stem cells to initiate tissue repair over time.
HGF undergoes nitrification, a chemical change that impairs its ability to bind to muscle stem cells. However, when treated with LASSS, HGF is protected from this damage and remodeled into a highly resistant hepatocyte superfgence factor (HFSF), which binds to muscle receptors more than twice as strongly as untreated proteins.
This groundbreaking discovery shifts the focus of anti-aging therapies from replacing lost growth factors to protecting and significantly enhancing the body's existing repair signals. In animal models of muscle atrophy resulting from inactivity and bed rest, mice pre-treated with LASSS showed a marked reduction in protein damage while preserving muscle repair capacity. Because the HGF repair system is nearly identical in mammals, researchers believe this therapeutic approach could eventually be used to treat muscle atrophy and prolonged immobility in older humans and pets, helping them maintain mobility and a better quality of life as they age.
Sources:
Zushi, K., Seki, M., Mizuochi, R., Shitamitsu, K., Elgaabari, A., Tanaka, S., ... & Tatsumi, R. (2026). Enhanced HGF with increased receptor affinity and nitration-dysfunction resistance through interaction with lipoic acid trisulfide. Scientific Reports.