Pharmaceutical composition for treating muscle atrophy or sarcopenia including glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) or GLP-1 receptor agonist

Inventors

Jun, Hee Sook • Park, Eun Young • Hong, Yeon Hee

Assignees

Immunoforge Co Ltd

Abstract

A pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating muscle atrophy or sarcopenia including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a GLP-1 fragment, a GLP-1 secretion enhancer, a GLP-1 degradation inhibitor, a GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, or exendin-4, and a method of treating muscle atrophy or sarcopenia by using the pharmaceutical composition. When the pharmaceutical composition is administered to a subject having sarcopenia or muscle atrophy, reduced body weight, skeletal muscle mass, and grip strength, which are caused by sarcopenia or muscle atrophy, and expression levels of genes involved in muscle production may be restored to normal states. The composition may be widely applied to the development of effective therapeutic agents for sarcopenia or muscle atrophy.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating muscle atrophy or sarcopenia by administering an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) or a GLP-1 fragment. The GLP-1 or the GLP-1 fragment includes the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4, and the approach is positioned as a treatment for a subject having muscle atrophy or sarcopenia.

In described implementations, GLP-1-related agents include GLP-1, GLP-1 fragments including SEQ ID NO: 4 and GLP-1(32-36)amide, GLP-1 receptor agonists such as exendin-4 and dulaglutide, GLP-1 secretion enhancers, and GLP-1 degradation inhibitors such as DPP-4 inhibitors including sitagliptin. Long-acting GLP-1 formulations are also described, including those linked to an immunoglobulin Fc region, such as Trulicity.

Treatment outcomes described in the partial content include restoration of body weight and skeletal muscle mass and improvement in grip strength and muscle strength. Muscle gene expression is described as being modulated, including decreasing myostatin, atrogin-1, and MuRF1, and increasing MyoD and myogenin, with the compositions including pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, excipients, and/or diluents.

Claims Coverage

The independent claim covers a method of treating muscle atrophy or sarcopenia by administering a pharmaceutical composition containing GLP-1 or a GLP-1 fragment with an amino acid sequence corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 4. One inventive feature is identified in the independent claim; dependent claims further refine the GLP-1 format, therapeutic effects, gene targets, and inclusion of pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, excipients, and diluents.

Overall, the claim coverage centers on administering an effective amount of a GLP-1- or SEQ ID NO: 4-containing GLP-1 fragment composition to treat muscle atrophy or sarcopenia, with refinements that specify long-acting Fc-linked GLP-1 formats, muscle-related effects, particular muscle protein gene targets, and pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, excipients, and diluents.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications