Pomegranate-Derived Compound Improves Heart Function by Up to 80 Percent in Study - Video

A compound produced by the body after consuming foods such as pomegranates, walnuts and some berries may offer a new treatment approach for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to researchers at King’s College London.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, is set to be published in Science Advances.

The compound, urolithin A, was found to improve the heart’s ability to relax, reduce scarring and limit harmful enlargement of heart muscle in experimental models.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction accounts for roughly half of heart failure cases. In this condition, the heart can still pump blood normally but becomes stiff and has difficulty relaxing and filling between beats. Patients may experience breathlessness, fatigue and reduced exercise capacity, while treatment options remain relatively limited.

Researchers discovered that urolithin A activates PKG1α, a protein involved in blood-vessel function and heart-muscle relaxation. The compound targets a specific amino acid on this protein, triggering a pathway that may improve cardiovascular function.

In animal models, urolithin A improved measures of heart function by up to 80% compared with untreated models. It also increased heart-tissue relaxation, reduced fibrosis and limited enlargement of heart muscle cells.

The researchers then tested the compound in engineered human heart tissue derived from human stem cells. Urolithin A significantly improved the tissue's ability to relax, providing additional evidence that the biological mechanism could potentially be relevant to human heart function.

Urolithin A has already been studied in humans and has shown a favourable safety profile. However, the new findings are still preclinical.

Researchers stress that there is currently not enough evidence to recommend eating pomegranates or taking urolithin A to treat heart failure. Clinical trials in people will be needed to determine whether the benefits seen in animals and engineered heart tissue translate into actual improvements for patients.

REFERENCE: Jie Su et al. ,Targeting PKGIα Cys42 attenuates cardiac dysfunction in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.Sci. Adv.12,eaec8088(2026).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aec8088