General Medicine · Medical Literature
Effect of HY7602-Fermented Deer Antler Extract on Selected Muscle-Related Outcomes and Fermentation-Associated Metabolomic Profiles.
Abstract
Age-related loss of muscle strength is closely associated with frailty, reduced mobility, and loss of independence. In this study, we investigated the clinical and metabolomic features of deer antler extract fermented with Latilactobacillus curvatus HY7602. A 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in adults with reduced muscle function to evaluate the effects of daily intake of the fermented extract on muscle-related outcomes and functional performance. In parallel, exploratory untargeted LC-MS/MS-based metabolomic profiling was performed to examine biochemical changes during fermentation at three stages: extract (E), HY7602-supplemented extract (L), and fermented extract (F). After 12 weeks, the fermented deer antler extract group showed improvements in selected muscle-related outcomes compared with the placebo group, including bilateral and unilateral hand grip strength, right quadriceps strength, and Short Physical Performance Battery chair-stand performance. Metabolomic profiling revealed stage-dependent differences among the three preparation stages. Principal component analysis showed distinct clustering of E, L, and F, with the largest separation observed between E and F. Trajectory analysis suggested progressive changes in polyamine-related metabolites, amino acid derivatives, and γ-glutamyl peptides. Pathway analysis further indicated coordinated differences in nitrogen and amine metabolism, polyamine metabolism, glutathione-related metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and central carbon metabolism. HY7602-fermented deer antler extract may support selected strength-related outcomes in adults with reduced muscle function. Metabolomic profiling characterized the fermented product and provides a foundation for future mechanistic studies.
Clinical relevance
Does daily intake of deer antler extract fermented with Latilactobacillus curvatus HY7602 for 12 weeks improve muscle-related outcomes and functional performance in adults with reduced muscle function compared with placebo? __SNAPSHOT__ {"studyDesign":"Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with parallel exploratory untargeted LC-MS/MS metabolomic profiling (three fermentation-stage comparators: extract [E], HY7602-supplemented extract [L], fermented extract [F])","setting":"Not reported (country, institution type, and clinical setting not specified in the available abstract)","sampleSize":"Not reported (group-level allocation not specified in the available abstract)","population":"Adults with reduced muscle function; detailed inclusion/exclusion criteria (age range, sex distribution, baseline muscle strength thresholds, comorbidities) not reported in the available abstract","intervention":"Daily oral intake of deer antler extract fermented with Latilactobacillus curvatus HY7602 for 12 weeks; dose and formulation details not reported in the available abstract","comparator":"Placebo (composition and matching details not reported in the available abstract)","primaryOutcome":"Not explicitly defined as a single pre-specified primary endpoint in the available abstract; outcomes reported include bilateral and unilateral hand grip strength, right quadriceps strength, and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) chair-stand performance","followUp":"12 weeks","fundingSource":"Not reported"}
Key findings
The fermented deer antler extract group demonstrated improvements in the following muscle-related outcomes compared with placebo: bilateral hand grip strength, unilateral hand grip strength, right quadriceps strength, and SPPB chair-stand performance. No absolute effect sizes, relative effect sizes, confidence intervals, or p-values are available from the truncated abstract provided; these values are therefore not reported and cannot be independently calculated. Regarding the metabolomic sub-study, untargeted LC-MS/MS profiling revealed stage-dependent biochemical differences across the three preparation stages (E, L, F), with principal component analysis showing distinct clustering of each stage; the abstract is truncated before the extent of between-stage separation or specific metabolite identities are described. Adverse event data were not reported in the available abstract.
Practice implications
IMPORTANT LIMITATION: Only a truncated abstract is available for this review; the full dataset, statistical analyses, effect sizes, confidence intervals, p-values, sample size, power calculations, adverse event profile, and complete metabolomic findings are not accessible. Within these constraints: the trial provides preliminary human evidence suggesting that 12 weeks of HY7602-fermented deer antler extract may improve selected indicators of muscle strength and physical function in adults with reduced muscle function. However, whether these improvements are statistically significant, clinically meaningful (i.e., exceed established minimal clinically important differences for grip strength or SPPB subscores), or durable beyond 12 weeks cannot be determined from the abstract alone. The metabolomic arm is exploratory and descriptive; it does not establish causality between identified biochemical changes during fermentation and clinical outcomes. The patient population is incompletely characterized, limiting applicability across age groups, sexes, sarcopenia severity stages, and comorbidity profiles. The absence of a non-fermented deer antler comparator arm in the clinical trial means it cannot be determined whether fermentation confers additional benefit over unfermented extract. Practice should not change based on this abstract alone; confirmation in adequately powered, fully reported trials is required. __LIMITATIONS__ Abstract is truncated: key statistical data (p-values, effect sizes, confidence intervals, NNT/NNH) are unavailable, precluding assessment of the magnitude or precision of reported improvements.,Sample size and allocation not reported: adequacy of statistical power cannot be assessed.,No pre-specified primary endpoint is identifiable from the abstract; multiple muscle outcomes are described, raising concern for outcome multiplicity and selective reporting without a priori hierarchy.,Absence of a non-fermented deer antler comparator arm in the RCT prevents attribution of any observed effect to fermentation specifically versus the antler matrix itself.,Dose, formulation, and blinding adequacy are not described, limiting reproducibility and risk-of-bias assessment.,Baseline characteristics of participants are not reported; selection bias and baseline imbalance cannot be excluded.,12-week follow-up is short; durability of any muscle strength benefit, safety over time, and effects on patient-important outcomes (falls, fractures, hospitalization, independence) are unknown.,Metabolomic profiling is exploratory and untargeted; findings are hypothesis-generating only and must not be interpreted as mechanistic proof of efficacy.,Funding source is not reported; potential conflicts of interest cannot be evaluated.,Generalizability is uncertain given the uncharacterized population and unreported geographic/clinical setting. __BOTTOM_LINE_CATEGORY__ promising_but_preliminary __BOTTOM_LINE__ This 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial reports improvements in selected muscle strength and physical function measures with HY7602-fermented deer antler extract versus placebo in adults with reduced muscle function, but the abstract is truncated and provides no quantitative effect sizes, p-values, or sample size data. The metabolomic sub-study is exploratory and does not establish a mechanism linking fermentation-induced biochemical changes to clinical benefit. Routine clinical use cannot be recommended; adequately powered, fully reported trials with pre-specified endpoints and long-term follow-up are needed before this intervention can be considered practice-informing.