# Development of Dietary Quercetin to Treat Muscle Wasting Disorders

> **NIH NIH R43** · ACEPRE, LLC · 2021 · $52,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY: Cachexia, the unintentional loss of body weight, is prevalent in chronic diseases and
associated treatments. Cachexia is associated with reduced physical function, decreased tolerance for
treatment, and increased mortality. Moreover, a cachexia diagnosis is consistent with a doubling in duration of
hospital stay and an additional cost of $4,000/case compared to non-cachectic patients. Cachexia has been
reported following chemotherapy treatment including muscle mass loss and fatigue which contribute to
reduced quality of life. Furthermore, the loss of lean mass with cachexia impairs chemotherapy treatment
tolerance and can exacerbate functional decrements leading to functional dependencies and accrued health
care cost. Single and combined chemotherapeutic agents such as 5 fluorouracil (5FU) and FOLFIRINOX have
been shown to directly disrupt skeletal muscle mass and function in tumor-bearing mice. Additionally, 5FU and
FOLFIRINOX administration in animals and humans induces body weight loss associated with skeletal muscle
mass loss and disrupted mitochondrial function, representing as an ideal model to study cachexia. Currently,
there are no approved therapies for cachexia despite the improvements in our understanding of the
mechanisms underlying muscle wasting. Quercetin, a natural polyphenol found in various fruits and
vegetables, has been recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to increase mitochondrial
biogenesis. We have collected convincing data that support further investigation of Quercetin as an agent to
prevent/treat cachexia: 1) we reported that Quercetin can reduce cancer-induced cachexia; 2) we showed that
Quercetin can reduce the physical fatigue that is associated with chemotherapy; 3) we reported that Quercetin
can increase physical performance by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis; and 4) we showed that Quercetin
can reduce inflammation in a number of disease models. However, Quercetin has not yet been developed as
an agent to prevent or treat cachexia. Our long-term goal is to move this dietary compound towards human
clinical trials as an innovative agent to prevent/treat cachexia. In this Phase I SBIR project we will rigorously
test the hypothesis that dietary Quercetin will ameliorate the cancer and chemotherapy-induced cachexia and
thereby result in improved therapeutic outcomes. Three specific aims are proposed: 1) evaluate Quercetin’s
effects on ameliorating cancer and chemotherapy-induced cachexia, 2) establish the effective plasma and
muscle levels and dosing interval for Quercetin, and 3) perform a subchronic oral toxicity screening of
Quercetin in mice. The success of our proposed phase I SBIR study will further the development of Quercetin
as a new agent to prevent/treat cachexia. A follow-up Phase II SBIR program will expand on these initial
studies to: 1) complete efficacy studies of Quercetin using additional models of cachexia; and 2) complete
advanced pharmaceutical toxicolo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10338290
- **Project number:** 3R43AT011171-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** ACEPRE, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Brandon VanderVeen
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $52,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2021-09-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10338290

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10338290, Development of Dietary Quercetin to Treat Muscle Wasting Disorders (3R43AT011171-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10338290. Licensed CC0.

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