ArticleMuscle & nerve2021
(-)-Epicatechin induces mitochondrial biogenesis and markers of muscle regeneration in adults with Becker muscular dystrophy.
Article in Muscle & nerve, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06631820 (The Effect of the Nutraceutical), which is not on this map. Cited by 36 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Effect of the Nutraceutical (-)- Epicatechin on Myosteatosis in Patients With Advanced CKD: a Pilot Study (EPIC-CKD)
Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Response of VOPhysiological reports · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Cocoa flavanols, Nrf2 activation, and oxidative stress in peripheral artery disease: mechanistic findings in muscle based on outcomes from a randomized trial.American journal of physiology. Cell physiology · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Myokines and mitochondrial function in cardiometabolic diseases.Journal of physiology and biochemistry · 2026Review
- Targeting the Mitochondrial Phenotype in Cockayne Syndrome Patient Cells: From Bioenergetic Fragility to Pharmacologic Rescue.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Exercise pills for cardiometabolic health cannot mimic the exercise milieu.Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM · 2026Review
- Effect of (-)-Epicatechin on Mitochondrial Homeostasis in Skeletal Muscle of Female Obese Rats.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Unlocking the Secrets of Nature: Phytochemicals as Key Players in Longevity and Healthy Aging.Cell biochemistry and biophysics · 2026Review
- Multimechanistic actions of functional factors in enhancing physical strength and endurance: a scoping review of nutritional basis and natural extracts.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Stimulatory Effects of (+)-Epicatechin on Short- and Long-Term Memory in Aged Rats: Underlying Mechanisms.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Effects of Epicatechin on the Expression of MyomiRs-31, -133, -136, -206, -296, and -486 in the Skeletal Muscle of the Offspring of Obese Mothers.Cell biochemistry and biophysics · 2025Article
- Model organisms for investigating the functional involvement of NRF2 in non-communicable diseases.Redox biology · 2025Review
- Review
- Dietary polyphenols and sarcopenia: epigenetic mechanisms and geroscience perspectives for muscle health in aging.Frontiers in aging · 2025Review
- Investigation of AlgerianAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Exploring the Geroprotective Potential of Nutraceuticals.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Towards Healthy Longevity: Comprehensive Insights from Molecular Targets and Biomarkers to Biological Clocks.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionWe conducted an open-label study to examine the effects of the flavonoid (-)-epicatechin in seven ambulatory adult patients with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD).
methodsSeven participants received (-)-epicatechin 50 mg twice per day for 8 weeks. Pre- and postprocedures included biceps brachii biopsy to assess muscle structure and growth-relevant endpoints by western blotting, mitochondria volume measurement, and cristae abundance by electron microscopy, graded exercise testing, and muscle strength and function tests.
resultsWestern blotting showed significantly increased levels of enzymes modulating cellular bioenergetics (liver kinase B1 and 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha, a transcriptional coactivator of genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and cristae-associated mitofilin levels, increased as did cristae abundance. Muscle and plasma follistatin increased significantly while myostatin decreased. Markers of skeletal muscle regeneration myogenin, myogenic regulatory factor-5, myoblast determination protein 1, myocyte enhancer factor-2, and structure-associated proteins, including dysferlin, utrophin, and intracellular creatine kinase, also increased. Exercise testing demonstrated decreased heart rate, maximal oxygen consumption per kilogram, and plasma lactate levels at defined workloads. Tissue saturation index improved in resting and postexercise states. DISCUSSION: (-)-Epicatechin, an exercise mimetic, appears to have short-term positive effects on tissue biomarkers indicative of mitochondrial biogenesis and muscle regeneration, and produced improvements in graded exercise testing parameters in patients with BMD.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.