What is sarcopenia?
Sarcopenia is defined as a condition in which muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical function decrease due to aging.
When muscle mass decreases, the risk of falls and fractures increases, and the chance of the occurrence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease is higher.
Sarcopenia is recognized as a disease and was listed as a disease code (M62.84) in the 10th Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) of the World Health Organization in 2016.
In Korea, it is included in the diagnosis code (M62.5) of the 8th Korean Standard Classification of Diseases and Causes of Death (KCD-8) in 2021; therefore, it is a field that has recently been recognized as a disease and is being studied.
The leading causes of sarcopenia are aging, nutritional deficiencies, chronic diseases, and lack of activity, which is a health problem for modern people,
so it should not be considered a simple symptom of aging, and the disease has a broad influence on people.
Sarcopenia classification
Primary sarcopenia is mainly relevant to aging.
Secondary sarcopenia is relevant to exercise, disease, and nutrients.
What is the treatment for sarcopenia at PLUTO Inc.?
As sarcopenia progresses, the activity of the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) enzyme increases, and the concentration of the inflammatory mediator **leukotriene B4 (LTB4)** increases, which induces an inflammatory response and promotes muscle damage.
The drug being developed by PLUTO is a substance that suppresses the activity of this 5-LOX, lowers the concentration of LTB4, reduces the inflammatory response, and animal testing has confirmed that it prevents muscle damage and maintains muscle health. It is currently undergoing clinical trials.