Natural compounds extracted from green tomatoes stimulate muscle growth, improve muscle strength and endurance, and prevent muscle atrophy. It sounds a bit unlikely, but green tomatoes do make muscles bigger and stronger.

A team of scientists at the University of Iowa previously used a screening method to identify a compound in apple peel as a muscle enhancer. Recently, they used the same method to find that,LycopeneTomatidine, a natural compound extracted from green tomato, can more effectively strengthen muscle and prevent muscle atrophy.

Muscle atrophy is caused by aging, various diseases and injuries (including cancer, heart failure and orthopedic injury). It can make people weak and tired, affect physical activity and quality of life, and cause people to fall and fracture. This disease affects more than 50million Americans every year, including 30million older people over the age of 60. Patients are often forced to enter nursing homes or rehabilitation institutions. Extended reading: PNAs: the latest findings of muscular atrophy

Dr. Christopher Adams, associate professor of internal medicine, molecular physiology and Biophysics at the University of Iowa, pointed out: "muscle atrophy has brought many problems to patients, their families and the general health care system. However, we lack an effective method to prevent or treat this disease. Exercise certainly helps, but for many people who are ill or injured, exercise is not enough or impossible."

More muscle, less fat
In a new study published in the Journal of biological chemistry on april9,2014, Adams wanted to find a small molecule compound that can be used to treat muscle atrophy. Using a system biology tool called connectivity map developed by the broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of technology and Harvard University, he focused on the natural compound lycopene. Adams found that,LycopeneThere was a negative correlation between the mRNA expression tag of muscle atrophy patients and that of muscle atrophy patients.

After the determination of lycopene, Adams and his research team used cultured human and mouse skeletal muscle tubes to detect the effect of lycopene on skeletal muscle. They found for the first time that tomatine could stimulate signal transduction and anabolism of mTORC1 (mammalian rapamycin target protein sensitive complex), cause protein and mitochondrial accumulation, and finally stimulate the growth of cultured human smooth muscle cells.

"This result is important because we are always looking for something that can help people," Adams said

Next, they added tomatine to the mice's diet. They found that healthy mice fed with lycopene grew larger muscles, became stronger, and were able to exercise longer. And most importantly, they found that lycopene can prevent and treat muscle atrophy.

Interestingly, although the mice fed with lycopene had larger muscles, their body weight did not change because their fat decreased accordingly, indicating that the compound also had the potential to treat obesity.

Designing healthier foods
The attractive aspect of tomatine is that it is a natural compound derived from tomatoes. When α - lycopene, especially found in tomato plants and green tomatoes, is digested in the gut, it producesLycopene。 

Adams pointed out: "it is safe to eat green tomatoes in moderation. However, we do not know how many green tomatoes a person needs to eat in order to obtain a similar dose of tomatine we give to mice. We also do not know whether this dose of tomatine is safe for humans, or whether it can achieve the same effect in humans as in mice. We are trying to explore these issues, hoping to find a relatively simple way that people can use to maintain muscle quality and function, or regain muscle if necessary."  

Click to learn about cytation ™ 3 cell imaging multifunctional microplate detection system  

Adams and his team have previously used this same strategy to find that,Ursolic acidUrsolic acid - a compound extracted from apple peel, which can promote muscle growth.

Adams said: "tomatine is obviously more effective than ursolic acid, and seems to have different mechanisms of action. We are now very interested in whether several natural compounds based on food, such as tomatine and ursolic acid, can one day be synthesized into scientifically based supplements, or simply incorporated into daily food to make consumers healthier."

To speed up this research and turn it into human use, Adams and his colleagues set up a biotechnology company called emmyon. Recently, the company received financial support from the National Institutes of health to develop strategies to maintain muscle mass and function during aging. The company also uses lycopene and ursolic acid as natural clues to new drugs for muscle atrophy and obesity.