Healthy-Aging Advances

Continuing a decade-long clinical investigation into L-ergothioneine, NNB Nutrition (China), a leading ingredient-focused biotech company, announced a surprising and novel application for its L-ergothioneine ingredient MitoPrime™: the upregulation of DNA repair pathways.

L-ergothioneine and Aging

The authors of the most comprehensive review on aging titled “The Hallmarks of Aging” concluded that genomic stability, created by healthy DNA, is “the number one predictor of longevity.”¹

A new NNB patent filing now appears to take that aging research and give it a practical application.

In the filing, NNB details the biomechanistic interactions between L-ergothioneine and the key molecular targets involved in upregulating repair pathways.

Additionally, the NNB patent outlines other important “age correcting” mechanisms credited to ergothioneine, including augmenting the rate of cell renewal, restoring mitochondrial function to a youthful state, increasing oxygen distribution, and ameliorating transcriptional states from old to young.

• Upregulation of DNA repair pathways
• Amelioration of transcriptional cellular states from old to young
• Restoration of mitochondrial structure to a more youthful state
• Augmentation of the rate and quality of cell renewal
• Upregulation of oxygen distribution

What Is Ergothioneine?

Ergothioneine is a naturally occurring amino acid found in the highest concentrations in certain mushroom species. Ergothioneine is unique, being the only micronutrient possessing its own dedicated nutrient transport protein known as ETT (formerly OCTN1).

Ergothioneine was termed a “longevity vitamin” by renowned research scientist Bruce Ames, PhD, due to its antioxidant capability. The NNB patent filing now elevates ergothioneine’s role to a target-specific nutrigenomic with genuine age-mitigating effects.

“We began our series of ‘12 Investigative Clinical Trials with L-ergothioniene’ in the third quarter of 2020,” says Kylin Liao, NNB’s founder. “We will continue our investigative pursuit into ergothioneine’s plethora of benefits, including heart health, cognitive improvement, immune health, and mitigating the long-term effects of extreme viruses such as COVID-19.”

MitoPrime™ has been approved for use in beverages such as coffee, tea, juice, and soda. Dr. Joseph Evans, PhD, former principal investigator at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, noted that over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day and said, “MitoPrime™ provides a new and very practical approach to improving health, wellness, and the human condition worldwide.”

On May 15, 2021, results of NNB’s initial four clinical/ex vivo studies were made available on the Clinical Trial page of the ingredient’s website (https://mitoprimennb.com). The remaining eight ongoing studies are looking into ergothioneine’s benefit as both a therapeutic ingestible as well as a topical treatment for dermatological applications and are scheduled to be completed between August 18, 2021, and February 21, 2022. Results will be made available to the public 30 days following the conclusion of each trial, the company says.

Jeff Kob, CMO of NNB Nutrition, is an expert in marketing and creating content with almost 30 years of experience in industry. He is now dedicated to bringing innovative supplements to us and giving us all a healthier life.

Reference

1. López-Otín C et al. “The Hallmarks of Aging.” Cell, vol. 153, no. 6 (June 2013): 1194–1217

About NNB

NNB is the leading ingredient-driven biotech company employing over 100 research scientists from more than 10 countries who study, design, and deliver unique ingredients to our industry to maximize health, augment performance, expand longevity, and enhance appearance. NNB fosters partnerships with companies in the fields of nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and medical research.

About MitoPrime™ Clinical Trials

NNB’s series of “12 Investigative Clinical Trials on Ergothioneine” is being conducted by independent contract research organizations (CROs) and universities throughout the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. They are solely responsible for every aspect of the studies, including creating protocols, recruiting subjects, and statistical analysis.