Effects ofEcklonia cavaPolyphenol in Individuals with Hypercholesterolemia: A Pilot Study

Abstract

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of Ecklonia cava polyphenol (Seapolynol™, a polyphenol antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent purified from E. cava) during a 12-week treatment period (400 mg orally once daily) in individuals with hypercholesterolemia and performed subgroup analysis for metabolic syndrome (MetS). As a noncomparative study, forty-six individuals (M:F=22:24, mean age=54±11 years) with fasting total cholesterol concentration >240 mg/dL or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration >130 mg/dL were enrolled. Hip circumference (100±7 cm vs. 98±7 cm, P<.01), total cholesterol (244±25 mg/dL vs. 225±37 mg/dL, P<.01), LDL-C (161±24 mg/dL vs. 146±34 mg/dL, P<.01), and C-reactive protein (2.51±3.55 mg/L vs. 1.37±1.32 mg/L, P<.05) were significantly decreased without significant adverse effect. A differential assessment according to the presence [MetS(+) group, n=18] and absence [MetS(-) group, n=28] of MetS showed that Hb(A1c) decreased significantly following 12-week Seapolynol treatment in the MetS(+) compared with the MetS(-) group (-0.3%±0.5% vs. 0.1%±0.3%, P<.01). In conclusion, although our results showed that Seapolynol treatment is effective and safe without significant adverse events or abnormal laboratory findings during a 12-week period in individuals with hypercholesterolemia, more research in a larger population with a longer-term follow-up period in a randomized placebo-controlled study is needed to confirm the results.

Risks and benefits of consuming edible seaweeds

“…In Korean adults with increased cholesterol, however, a significant reduction in total cholesterol, LDL-C, and C-reactive protein was observed compared with baseline values following treatment with Ecklonia cava polyphenol extract at a dosage of 400 mg/d for 12 weeks 156 . Potential mechanisms of action may be associated with the inhibition of adipogenesis, as the phlorotannin dieckol has been shown to downregulate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes 157 …”

Pyrogallol-Phloroglucinol-6,6’-Bieckol from Ecklonia cava Improved Blood Circulation in Diet-Induced Obese and Diet-Induced Hypertension Mouse Models

“…E. cava is currently being explored for its health-promoting properties due to its high phlorotannin contents (~18% on a dry weight basis). It is known to contain numerous phlorotannins, which includes dieckol, PFFA, PHB, PPB, phlorofucofuroeckol, 6,6′-bieckol, 8,8′-bieckol, 2- O -(2,4,6-trihydroxyphenyl)-6,6′-bieckol, eckstolonol, 2-phloroeckol, 1-(3′,5′-dihydroxyphenoxy)-7-(2″,4″,6-trihydroxyphenoxy)-2,4,9-trihydroxydibenzo-1,4-dioxin, eckol, 7-phloroeckol, phlorotannin A, and phloroglucinol [23,24,25,26,27,28]. The phlorotannins have a resilient dibenzo-1,4-obesityxin backbone, which presumably aids molecular interactions with various biomolecules [29,30].…”

Coronaviruses and Nature’s Pharmacy for the Relief of Coronavirus Disease 2019

“…Tylophorine compounds could be novel leads for further drug development on their own or as templates for drug design (Islam et al 2020 ). Tylophorine and related alkaloids, isolated from Tylophora indica Merr., inhibit TGEV replication for anti-coronavirus activity and suppress nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cells, a measure of antiinflammation (Lee et al, 2012a , b ). Additionally, a pharmacokinetic study demonstrated high and comparable oral bioavailabilities of tylophorine (65.7%) in rats (Lee et al, 2012a , b ).…”

“…The results suggest that compounds isolated from E. cava have strong antiviral activity and may be developed into natural therapeutic drugs against SARS-CoV infection (Kwon et al 2013 ). A commercially available E. cava extract, Seapolynol™, was approved as a new dietary ingredient (NDI) by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2008 (FDA-1995-S-0039-0176) (Lee et al, 2012a , b ).…”