Overview
- King’s College London scientists found that urolithin A binds a specific amino acid on the enzyme PKGIα and turns on a relaxation pathway used by blood vessels and heart muscle.
- In animal models the treatment cut scarring, prevented harmful enlargement of heart muscle cells, and improved measures of heart relaxation by as much as 80% versus controls.
- Engineered human heart tissue grown from stem cells showed clearer relaxation after urolithin A exposure, suggesting the lab effects could translate to human heart muscle.
- Urolithin A is made when gut bacteria break down ellagitannins in foods like pomegranates and walnuts, but individual microbiomes vary so eating those foods is not a reliable therapy.
- The compound has existing human safety data, yet researchers and funders say clinical trials are still needed to prove it helps people with HFpEF, a condition that makes up about half of heart failure cases.