About 20 years ago, the Beta-2 andrenoceptor became legendary virtually overnight when bodybuilders began to notice the incredible effects certain asthma drugs had on developing lean muscle and burning bodyfat…

In short, this receptor, when activated, can increase cAMP, which activates Akt signaling, which results in decreased muscle catabolism by decreasing expression of various muscle specific ubiquitin protein ligases (e.g., atrogin-1/MAFbx), which are thought to be responsible for muscle protein degradation...

Furthermore, working through cAMP and non-cAMP mediated mechanisms, ultimately results in increased activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling...

In a nutshell, it can potentially prevent muscle from breaking down, while also increasing muscle size...

If this weren't enough, by also increasing cAMP in fat tissue, Hormone Sensitive Lipase (HSL) is activated, which stimulates lipolysis and can potentially lead to a reduction of fat mass!

The Beta-2 Adrenoreceptor
You see, your body not only has Beta-2 receptors, it also has additional closely-related receptors that most compounds in this class have "spillover" towards – meaning they activate the Beta-2 receptor, but also activate others...

...More is better right? Not in this case...
Related receptors are located on places other than muscle & fat – so that's why some potent Beta-2 agonists come with nasty side effects like extreme jitters, cramping and an overall "feel like crap" day in and day out...

...It's not the Beta-2 activation that causes these issues - it's the spillover...

Super-Selective Beta-2 Activity
Independent third-party research has uncovered compounds that are found in food that are so selective, scientific data shows it almost exclusively activates Beta-2 in vitro...

Compound 20 Formula Breakdown

N-Coumaroyldopamine & N-caffeoyldopamine
These particular compounds that are found in foods which have been consumed for hundreds of years have been shown to have incredibly potent – and selective - beta 2-adrenoceptor agonist properties in vitro...

In fact, their potency in terms of increasing cAMP is greater than that of salbutamol and rivals that of the clenbuterol, often used to, "harden", the physique by increasing muscle and decreasing fat mass (1). It is believed to do so by activating the same signaling pathway that the powerful anabolic hormones, insulin and IGF-1, are able to activate...

In short, coumaroyldopamine & caffeoyldopamine have demonstrated the ability in vitro to increase cAMP and in turn activate Akt signaling…

Furthermore, these incredible compounds may also be able to increase muscle mass by cAMP and non-cAMP mediated mechanism (also involving Akt activation) which ultimately result in increased activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling (2,3). Yet, another mechanism is by potentially modifying polyamine levels (androgens and GH are thought to potentially increase muscle hypertrophy by doing this), it can create yet another mechanism enabling muscle growth (5). So, the compounds are able to activate pathways involved in the inhibition of skeletal muscle atrophy, while also being able to activate pathways involved in skeletal muscle hypertrophy. In short, it can potentially prevent muscle from being broken down, while also increasing muscle size.

But wait, just like an infomercial, that's not all...

If this weren't enough, by also increasing cAMP in fat tissue, Hormone Sensitive Lipase (HSL), which stimulates lipolysis, can be activated and lead to a reduction of fat mass.

Symplocos Racemosa Extract (standardized for triterpenoids)
This very specific extract was designed to maximize the levels of compounds which can have an additive or even synergistic effect with coumaroyldopamine & caffeoyldopamine by further enhancing their cAMP-increasing effects. It does this in part by inhibiting the degradation of cAMP...

It also goes without saying that this in turn enhances the anti-catabolic/anabolic and lipolytic effects of the coumaroyldopamine & caffeoyldopamine.

In addition, extraction for specific triterpenoid compounds is also expected to further enhance the potential ability of the formulation to increase muscle mass and decrease fat mass by enhancing skeletal muscle insulin/IGF-1 signaling, as was shown with similar compounds in animal models and in vitro (4).

Clinical studies are pending to evaluate Compound 20 and its effects upon body composition.

References

1.Park JB. N-coumaroyldopamine and N-caffeoyldopamine increase cAMP via beta 2-adrenoceptors in myelocytic U937 cells. FASEB J. 2005 Apr;19(6):497-502.
2.Kline WO, Panaro FJ, Yang H, et al. Rapamycin inhibits the growth and muscle-sparing effects of clenbuterol. J Apply Physiol. 2007 Feb;102(2):740-747.
3.Goncalves DA, Lira EC, Baviera AM, et al. Mechanisms involved in 3,5-cyclic adenosine monophosphate-mediated inhibition of ubiquitin-proteasome system in skeletal muscle. Endocrinology. 2009 Dec;150(12):5395-53404.
4.Kunkel SD, Suneja M, Ebert SM, et al. mRNA expression signatures of human skeletal muscle atrophy identify a natural compound that increases muscle mass. Cell Metab. 2011 Jun 8;13(6):627-638.
5.Lee NK & MacLean HE. Polyamines, androgens, and skeletal muscle hypertrophy. J Cell Physiol. 2011 Jun;226(6):1453-1460.