Drug Mimics Exercise's Effects
Untrained mice dosed with a drug that induces the same effects as rigorous training ran as far as conditioned rodent athletes did. Christopher Intagliata reports
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]
Tricky cyclists in the Tour de France sometimes cheat by upping their red blood cell count for those tough stretches through the Alps. But researchers at California’s Salk Institute just discovered a new sort of endurance training in a pill—pop it and go farther, for longer. For mice, at least. But there’s evidence it works for us, too. The research appears in the journal Cell.
First, the team gave mice a drug that targets a sort of endurance gene. It didn’t work by itself. But with exercise training, the doping mice ran twice as far as their equally trained, drug-free buddies. And they had more of the muscle fibers that boost endurance.
The researchers realized exercise was the key to activating this endurance circuit. So they gave the mice a different drug that mimics a natural chemical produced during exercise, called AMP. When AMP levels rise, the endurance circuit kicks in. So with the second drug, even lazy, untrained mice ran as far as trained, drug-free mice. But athletes beware—the researchers are already working with the World Anti-Doping Agency to bust would-be Olympic cheats.
> Read the full story
60-Second Science is a daily podcast. Subscribe to this Podcast:
RSS | iTunesIt’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.
