Shilajit Extract May Upregulate Genes Responsible for Collagen Synthesis

Photo © iStockphoto.com/Сергей Хакимуллин

Results of a new human clinical study suggest PrimaVie, a purified and standardized shilajit extract from Natreon (New Brunswick, NJ), may significantly upregulate several genes responsible for collagen synthesis.

The open-label, longitudinal study included sixteen overweight/class I obese Americans aged 21–70 who consumed 250 mg of PrimaVie twice daily for eight weeks, followed by an additional four-week supplementation period combined with exercise. Researchers chose to study overweight and obese subjects in particular because “physiological muscle performance is often compromised in this group of subjects,” Natreon explains. Blood samples and skeletal muscle biopsies were performed at baseline, eight weeks after baseline, and twelve weeks after baseline.

In reviewing the mRNA expression profile from subject biopsies following eight weeks of supplementation, researchers identified 17 extracellular matrix (ECM)–related probe sets of genes that were significantly upregulated compared to baseline. These included teanascin XB, myoferlin, collagen, decorin, elastin, fibrillin 1, and fibronectin 1. In particular, several collagen-related genes, including COL1A1, COL1A2, and COL3A1 were increased by a factor of 4.61, 5.31, and 5.18, respectively, after eight weeks of supplementation, Natreon points out. Researchers confirmed the differential expression of these genes with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

“The current study reports for the first time that oral supplementation of a natural product to overweight/class I obese human subjects resulted in skeletal muscle adaptation through upregulation of ECM-related genes that control muscle mechanotransduction properties, elasticity, repair, and regeneration,” researchers concluded.

Aside from the findings at eight weeks after baseline, researchers also found that the subsequent four weeks of PrimaVie supplementation combined with exercise “further induced the expression of the microarray-identified genes,” Natreon notes. PrimaVie supplementation was found to be well tolerated throughout the study, with no changes observed to blood glucose levels, lipid profile, creatine kinase levels, or serum myoglobin levels.

“Although additional studies will follow to confirm the effects of oral supplementation of PrimaVie, the increase in collagen expression in this study suggests the potential role of PrimaVie purified shilajit in healthy aging,” Natreon says.

Read more:

Shilajit Ingredient May Increase Male Testosterone Levels

Collagen Peptides Reduce Joint Inflammation, Support Cartilage Regeneration, Animal Study Suggests

Beauty and the Feast: Nutrients for Natural Beauty, Inside and Out

Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com

References:

Das A et al., “The human skeletal muscle transcriptome in response to oral shilajit supplementation,” Journal of Medicinal Food, vol. 19, no. 7 (July 2016): 701–709