Imeglimin reduced muscle wasting in obese and aging mice
Fast-contracting fibers in a hind-leg muscle were 66% larger in cross-section in obese mice given imeglimin than in obese controls after six weeks.
Limit: Main findings concerned muscle size and gene activity, rather than frailty or survival
Stake: Sumitomo Pharma, which develops imeglimin, funded the study. Sumitomo Pharma funded the study.
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An animal experiment tested imeglimin, a blood-sugar-lowering drug, in male C57BL/6 mice with diet-induced obesity and naturally aged male mice. Researchers randomly assigned mice to diets with or without the drug. Obese mice received an estimated 300 milligrams per kilogram of body weight daily for six weeks. Mice aged 18 months received an estimated 400 milligrams per kilogram daily for 12 weeks.
In a hind-leg muscle, the drug increased the cross-sectional area of fast-twitch fibers, which contract quickly, by 66% in obese mice compared with obese controls. In aged mice, fiber cross-sectional area was 14% larger than in aged controls. This occurred without a change in glucose tolerance, the body's ability to handle sugar. Both mouse models also showed reduced activity of genes associated with stress and inflammation.
Why it matters
Muscle wasting contributes to frailty in aging and obesity. The work addresses whether imeglimin could have a role beyond blood sugar control in preserving aging muscle.
Caveats
These were experiments in male mice, not evidence of benefit in people. The main findings concerned muscle size and gene activity, rather than frailty or survival.
The paper
Imeglimin Attenuates Skeletal Muscle Atrophy in Mouse Models of Obesity and Ageing
Fudan University; The University of Tokyo
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, Jul 29, 2026, Open access
