Urolithin A is a gut microbiome metabolite of ellagitannins (found in pomegranates, walnuts, berries) that specifically triggers mitophagy — the selective autophagy of damaged mitochondria. Only ~40% of people have the gut bacteria that produce urolithin A from food, making supplementation the only reliable way to get it. A 2022 JAMA Network Open study found 1,000mg/day improved muscle endurance by 12% in elderly adults. Mitopure® (Timeline Nutrition) is the ONLY clinically tested form, backed by EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) research. This is one of the most mechanistically precise anti-aging compounds — it does ONE thing (mitophagy) and does it well.
Urolithin A activates mitophagy through PINK1/Parkin pathway and AMPK/ULK1 signaling. Specifically: (1) it stabilizes PINK1 on the outer mitochondrial membrane of damaged mitochondria (PINK1 normally degrades on healthy mitochondria); (2) stabilized PINK1 recruits Parkin (E3 ubiquitin ligase), which ubiquitinates the damaged mitochondrion; (3) ubiquitinated mitochondria are recognized by autophagy receptors (p62, OPTN), engulfed in autophagosomes, and degraded. This selective removal of damaged mitochondria allows the cell to replace them with new, functional mitochondria (via mitochondrial biogenesis) — improving overall cellular energy production. This is the "quality control" mechanism for the cell's power plants.
No critical interactions identified.
No significant drug interactions documented.
Reviewed by the Scan Dose Research Team and Clinical Advisory Board | Last updated:
Not medical advice. Based on published clinical research and systematic reviews.