January 24, 2024, Rochester, MN – We are pleased to announce the publication of an important new study that Emmyon conducted in collaboration with Virbac Corporation, an international leader in nutritional and pharmaceutical products for animal health. The article was published in the veterinary journal Animals and can be freely obtained here or at the journal website: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/2/186
Our study focused on skeletal muscle health in dogs, who often suffer from significant muscle wasting and functional deficits when they become older, ill, or injured. To address this problem, we developed a novel canine dietary supplement (soft chew) containing a coated version of ursolic acid, a natural dietary compound that Emmyon scientists previously discovered and patented for skeletal muscle health. Through randomized, placebo-controlled studies in old dogs with age-related skeletal muscle atrophy (sarcopenia), we found that the ursolic acid soft chew is safe and well tolerated by dogs, and it generates numerous beneficial molecular changes in skeletal muscle mRNA expression, leading to striking improvements in exercise participation and performance. These exciting results identify a new nutritional approach for maintaining healthy skeletal muscle and activity in dogs.