Novel Compound May Restore Aging Muscles - Neuroscience News

What the report says

Neuroscience News, citing Kyushu University, reported that researchers have identified lipoic acid trisulfide, or LASSS, as a compound that may protect a key muscle-repair signal from an age-related chemical change. The study, led by Professor Ryuichi Tatsumi of Kyushu University’s Faculty of Agriculture and published July 24, 2026, in Scientific Reports, focuses on hepatocyte growth factor, known as HGF, which helps activate satellite cells involved in skeletal muscle repair.

According to the report, aging tissue can alter HGF through nitration at two tyrosine residues, Y198 and Y250, disrupting its ability to bind the c-met receptor on satellite cells. In laboratory testing, LASSS suppressed that inhibitory modification and, at a reported HGF-to-trisulfide ratio of 1:8000, was associated with more than a twofold increase in HGF’s binding affinity for c-met compared with native HGF. The article described this enhanced form as “Super HGF.”

The researchers also tested LASSS in a tail-suspension mouse model used to mimic disuse-related muscle atrophy. Neuroscience News reported that pretreatment with LASSS significantly lowered HGF nitration in the model, while another trisulfide compound, glutathione trisulfide, did not show the same protective effect in receptor-binding or mouse experiments.

The findings matter because age-related muscle decline, sarcopenia and prolonged immobility can impair repair capacity and reduce mobility. However, the evidence described is preclinical, and the article noted that more studies in aging animals are needed to assess effectiveness and safety before any human or veterinary application can be established.