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Impact of Urolithin A (Mitopure) on Mitochondrial Quality in Muscle of Frail Older Adults

Impact of Urolithin A (Mitopure) on Mitochondrial Quality in Muscle of Frail Older Adults

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06556706
Acronym
MitoEM
Enrollment
26
Registered
2024-08-16
Start date
2024-08-15
Completion date
2025-04-25
Last updated
2025-05-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Aging, Frailty, Muscle Atrophy, Sarcopenia

Keywords

mitophagy, Urolithin A

Brief summary

The study is a single-center, randomized, placebo-control double-blind study in frail older adults over 65yrs. to investigate the impact of Mitopure (Urolithin A) supplementation on muscle mitochondrial quality in frail older adults after 8-weeks of supplementation

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTMitopure (Urolithin A)

UA is produced by the gut microbiome following the digestion of dietary precursors (polyphenols such as ellagitannins and punicalagins) present in fruits and nuts such as pomegranate, nuts and berries. In mouse models of aging and muscle dystrophy, UA was shown to induce mitophagy and mitochondrial function in the skeletal muscle. This was associated with improved muscle strength and endurance (Nat. Med, 2016; Sci Tran Med, 2021). In humans, UA was shown to be safe and bioavailable in multiple clinical studies (Nat. Met, 2019; Cell Rep Med, 2022; JAMA Network Open, 2022).

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTPlacebo

Placebo containing excipients other than Urolithin A (Mitopure)

Sponsors

Université du Québec a Montréal
CollaboratorOTHER
McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
CollaboratorOTHER
Amazentis SA
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Frail (as defined by the Fried frailty criteria)nonsmoking participants in the age group of 65 to 85 years old, both male and female. * A body mass index between 18 to 35 kg/m2. * Not on any medications/living with medical conditions that would compromise the study outcome or the safety of the research participant. * Able to participate and willing to give written informed consent and to comply with the study restrictions. * Willing to be assigned randomly either to the UA or the control group.

Exclusion criteria

Participants must not have: * Participated in a clinical trial within 90 days of screening or more than 4 times in the previous year. * A history (within 3 months of screening) of alcohol consumption exceeding 2 standard drinks per day on average (1 standard drink = 10 grams of alcohol). * A history or presence of allergy to 5-aminolevulinic acid or porphyrins. * A history or presence of allergy to lidocaine. * Positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis C antibody (HCV Ab), or human immunodeficiency virus antibody (HIV Ab) at screening. * Unwillingness or inability to refrain from consuming alcohol within 48 hours before each visit until the end of said visit. * Unwillingness or inability to refrain from consuming 8 or more units of xanthine containing beverages and foods per day during the entire study. * Unwillingness to not consume other mitochondrial supplements during the course of the study (such as CoQ10, reseveratrol, NR, NMN etc.) and pomegranate juice * unwillingness to not change diet or physical activity levels during the course of the study * Unwillingness or inability to undergo a muscle biopsy. * Underlying chronic disease, which in the opinion of the investigator, would interfere with study participation or the validity of the measurements. * Unintentional weight loss ≤5% of regular body weight during the last 6 months. * Medication requirements that may interfere with the interpretation of the results. * Loss or donation of blood over 500mL three months prior (male subjects) or four months prior (female subjects) to participating in the study. * Smoked (tobacco and/or marijuana mixed with tobacco (THC)) within 6 months prior to the start of the study; * Abused drugs, medicine or alcohol within up to 30 days prior to the start of the study (Alcohol: more than 10 drinks a week, with more than 2 drinks a day most days; Drugs: THC, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines/methamphetamines, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, Buprenorphine, Creatin, Methadone metabolite, oxycodone, phencyclidine); * A positive COVID-19 test taken 1 week to 24h before study start date.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Change in mitochondrial area between placebo and active treated groups assessed via Electron Microscopy8-weeks
Change in mitochondrial cristae density between placebo and active treated groups assessed via Electron Microscopy8-weeks

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) over nuclear DNA ratio (mtDNA/nDNA) via qPCR8-weeks
Changes in body composition via Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan of total and appendicular lean mass8-weeks
Changes in composition via Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) of muscle tissue8-weeks
Changes in the timed up and go test (time needed to stand from an armchair, walk a distance of 3 meters, turn around and sit back down in the chair)8-weeks
Changes in grip strength measured by a hand dynamometer8-weeks
Changes in Berg balance test: Participant will be asked to maintain a given position or perform a task8-weeks
Changes in distance walked during the six-minute walk test8-weeks
change between groups on the following: maximal mitochondrial O2 consumption assessed via via respirometry on permeabilized myofibers8-weeks
Changes in Four-square step test: To assess balance, participant will step over small sticks placed in an X on the floor8-weeks
Changes in Unipedal stance test (UPST): First a ball will be kicked to determine dominant leg, then participant will be asked to stand on one leg (barefoot) with eyes open and again with eyes closed8-weeks
Recording of adverse events8-weeks
Quantification of muscle fiber type (type I/II) via Myosin Heavy Chain immunolabeling8-weeks
Analysis of markers of neuromuscular junction integrity (NCAM biomarker staining)8-weeks
Changes in knee extension strength measured by a hand dynamometer8-weeks
Changes in the 30-second stand test: Participant will stand as many times as s/he can from a seated position for 30-seconds.8-weeks
change between groups in mitochondrial calcium retention capacity measured by mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) sensitivity to calcium8-weeks

Countries

Canada

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026