Re: Sally, some studies was: Last night's Detox seminar, notes on CILA...

[Guest guest]

Could you post what you think chlorella does and why and precisely why

you disagree with Dr K?

I don’t think it ‘binds’ metals and dioxins as much as it does reduce them to less toxic forms. Whereas he speaks of it as a chelator... So I think the ‘disagrement is in the name only

Where we do ‘agree’ on is that it raises intracellular (body’s own) glutathione and MTII – see below... Thus enabling the body to chelate itself !

On a different note, it does have such a wide scope of action that it would be extremely surprising if everyone tolerated it... “...Through gene expression analysis, we found that gene expression profiles varied with Chlorella intake and identified many genes that exhibited behavior such that after the completion of the intake period, expression levels returned to pre-intake expression ones. Among these were genes related to signal transduction molecules, metabolic enzymes, receptors, transporters, and cytokines...”

nx

6: J Hazard Mater. 2008 Aug 30. [Epub ahead of print]

Photo-induced transformations of mercury(II) species in the presence of algae, Chlorella vulgaris.

Deng L, Fu D, Deng N. Department of Municipal Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.

The effects of algae (i.e., Chlorella vulgaris), Fe(III), humic substances, and pH on the photoreduction of Hg(II) under the irradiation of metal halide lamps (lambda>/=365nm, 250W) were investigated in this paper. The photoreduction rate of Hg(II) was found to increase with the increasing concentration of algae, Fe(III), and humic substances. The cooperation action of Fe(III) and humic substances accelerated the photoreduction of Hg(II). When the initial concentration of Hg(II) was in the range of 0.0-200.0mugL(-1) with initial algae concentrations 7.0x10(9)cellsL(-1) at pH 7.0, the initial photoreduction rate of Hg(II) could be expressed by the equation: -dC(Hg(II))/dt=0.65x[C(Hg(II))](0.39) with a correlation coefficient of R=0.9912. The study on the photochemical process in terms of total mercury mass balance revealed that more than 40.86% of Hg(II) from the algal suspension was reduced to volatile metallic mercury. This paper discussed the photoreduction mechanism of Hg(II) in the presence of algae. This research will provide information for predicting the photoreduction of Hg(II) in the real environment. It will be helpful for understanding the photochemical transformation of Hg(II) and the formation of DGM in natural water in the presence of algae complexes. It will also be helpful for providing new methods to deal with heavy metal pollution. PMID: 18834666 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

J Med Food. 2008 Sep;11(3):479-85.

Protective effects of Chlorella vulgaris on liver toxicity in cadmium-administered rats.

Shim JY, Shin HS, Han JG, Park HS, Lim BL, Chung KW, Om AS. Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The biochemical mechanisms of Chlorella vulgaris protection against cadmium (Cd)-induced liver toxicity were investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats (5 weeks of age, weighing 90-110 g). Forty rats were randomly divided into one control and three groups treated with 10 ppm Cd: one Cd without Chlorella (Cd-0C), one Cd with 5% Chlorella (Cd-5C), and one Cd with 10% Chlorella (Cd-10C) groups. The rats had free access to water and diet for 8 weeks. Body weight gain and relative liver weight were significantly lower in the Cd-0C group than in Cd-5C and Cd-10C groups. Rats in the Cd-0C group had significantly higher hepatic concentrations of Cd and metallothioneins (MTs) than in the Cd-5C or Cd-10C group. The hepatic MT I/II mRNA was expressed in all experimental rats. MT II was more expressed in the Cd-5C and Cd-10C groups than in the Cd-0C group. Morphologically, a higher level of congestion and vacuolation was observed in the livers of the Cd-0C group compared to those of the Cd-5C and Cd-10C groups. Therefore, this study suggests that C. vulgaris has a protective effect against Cd-induced liver damage by reducing Cd accumulation and stimulating the expression of MT II in liver. However, the details of the mechanism of C. vulgaris on liver toxicity remains to be clarified by further studies. PMID: 18800895 [PubMed - in process]

J Med Food. 2007 Mar;10(1):134-42.

Chlorella (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) supplementation decreases dioxin and increases immunoglobulin a concentrations in breast milk.

Nakano S, Takekoshi H, Nakano M.

Saiseikai Nara Hospital, Nara, Japan. In addition to meeting nutritional requirements, breast milk plays important roles in biodefense for nursing infants. Dioxins have been detected at high concentrations in breast milk, raising concerns about disorders in nursing infants caused by breast milk containing dioxins in Japan. We analyzed dioxin levels in breast milk and maternal blood samples from 35 pregnant women in Japan. We also measured immunoglobulin (Ig) A concentrations in breast milk and investigated correlations with dioxin concentrations. In addition, 18 of the 35 women took Chlorella pyrenoidosa (Chlorella) supplements during pregnancy, and the effects on dioxin and IgA concentrations in breast milk were investigated. Toxic equivalents were significantly lower in the breast milk of women taking Chlorella tablets than in the Control group (P = .003). These results suggest that Chlorella supplementation by the mother may reduce transfer of dioxins to the child through breast milk. No significant correlation was identified between dioxin and IgA concentrations in breast milk in the Control group. It is unlikely that normal levels of dioxin exposure via food have a remarkable influence on IgA in breast milk. IgA concentrations in breast milk in the Chlorella group were significantly higher than in the Control group (P = .03). Increasing IgA levels in breast milk is considered to be effective for reducing the risk of infection in nursing infants. The present results suggest that Chlorella supplementation not only reduces dioxin levels in breast milk, but may also have beneficial effects on nursing infants by increasing IgA levels in breast milk.

Publication Types * Clinical Trial PMID: 17472477 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Planta Med. 2007 Jul;73(8):762-8. Epub 2007 Jul 5.

Stimulation of cytokine production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells by an aqueous Chlorella extract.

Ewart HS, Bloch O, Girouard GS, Kralovec J, Barrow CJ, Ben-Yehudah G, Suárez ER, Rapoport MJ. Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd., Dartmouth, NS, Canada. sewart@...

CPE is an aqueous extract of the edible micro alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa, which has been shown to have immunostimulatory effects in vivo. In the present study, CPE was evaluated for an ability to stimulate cytokine production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). PBMC from healthy individuals were treated ex vivo for 24 hours with 1, 10 and 100 microg/mL CPE. This resulted in a marked increase in the level of IL-10, a regulatory cytokine, and strong stimulation of the T-helper-1 (Th1) cell cytokines, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. In contrast, stimulation of representative T-helper-2 (Th2) cell cytokines, IL-4 and IL-13, was minor. CPE (1, 10 or 100 microg/mL) did not cause a proliferation of human PBMC suggesting that enhanced secretion of cytokines was not secondary to an increase in cell number. We conclude that CPE stimulation of human PBMC induces a Th1-patterned cytokine response and a strong anti-inflammatory regulatory cytokine response, observations that await confirmation in vivo. PMID: 17611933 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

3: Brain Behav Immun. 2008 Oct;22(7):1056-65. Epub 2008 Apr 16.

Hematopoietic response of rats exposed to the impact of an acute psychophysiological stressor on responsiveness to an in vivo challenge with Listeria monocytogenes: modulation by Chlorella vulgaris prophylactic treatment.

Queiroz Jde S, Torello CO, Palermo-Neto J, Valadares MC, Queiroz ML.

Departamento de Farmacologia and Hemocentro, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, C.P. 6111, CEP 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil.

In this study, we investigated the hematopoietic response of rats pretreated with CV and exposed to the impact of acute escapable, inescapable or psychogenical stress on responsiveness to an in vivo challenge with Listeria monocytogenes. No consistent changes were observed after exposure to escapable footshock. Conversely, the impact of uncontrollable stress (inescapable and psychogenical) was manifested by an early onset and increased severity and duration of myelossuppression produced by the infection. Small size CFU-GM colonies and increased numbers of clusters were observed, concurrently to a greater expansion in the more mature population of bone marrow granulocytes. No differences were observed between the responses of both uncontrollable stress regimens. CV prevented the myelossuppression caused by stress/infection due to increased numbers of CFU-GM in the bone marrow. Colonies of cells tightly packed, with a very condensed nucleus; in association with a greater expansion in the more immature population of bone marrow granulocytes were observed. Investigation of the production of colony-stimulating factors revealed increased colony-stimulating activity (CSA) in the serum of normal and infected/stressed rats treated with the algae. CV treatment restored/enhanced the changes produced by stress/infection in total and differential bone marrow and peripheral cells counts. Further studies demonstrated that INF-gamma is significantly reduced, whereas IL-10 is significantly increased after exposure to uncontrollable stress. Treatment with CV significantly increased INF-gamma levels and diminished the levels of IL-10. Uncontrollable stress reduced the protection afforded by CV to a lethal dose of L. monocytogenes, with survival rates being reduced from (50%) in infected rats to 20% in infected/stressed rats. All together, our results suggest Chlorella treatment as an effective tool for the prophylaxis of post-stress myelossupression, including the detrimental effect of stress on the course and outcome of infections PMID: 18420376 [PubMed - in process]

: J Med Food. 2008 Sep;11(3):395-404.

Nutrigenomic studies of effects of Chlorella on subjects with high-risk factors for lifestyle-related disease.

Mizoguchi T, Takehara I, Masuzawa T, Saito T, Naoki Y Research and Development Department, Sun Chlorella Corporation, Kyoto, Japan. mizoguchi@...

In order to clarify the physiological effects of Chlorella intake on subjects with high-risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases, we conducted Chlorella ingestion tests on 17 subjects with high-risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases and 17 healthy subjects over a 16-week period, including a 4-week post-observation period. We conducted blood biochemical tests and analyzed gene expression profile in whole blood cells in the peripheral blood before and after Chlorella intake. We confirmed that in both groups, Chlorella intake resulted in noticeable reductions in body fat percentage, serum total cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose levels. Through gene expression analysis, we found that gene expression profiles varied with Chlorella intake and identified many genes that exhibited behavior such that after the completion of the intake period, expression levels returned to pre-intake expression ones. Among these were genes related to signal transduction molecules, metabolic enzymes, receptors, transporters, and cytokines. A difference in expression level was found between the two groups at the start of the tests, and we were able to identify genes with noticeable variance in expression level resulting from Chlorella intake in the high-risk factor group. These included genes involved in fat metabolism and insulin signaling pathways, which suggests that these pathways could be physiologically affected by Chlorella intake. There were clear variations in the expression profiles of genes directly related to uptake of glucose resulting from Chlorella intake, indicating that the activation of insulin signaling pathways could be the reason for the hypoglycemic effects of Chlorella. PMID: 18800884 [PubMed - in process]

Mol Cell Biochem. 2007 Sep;303(1-2):39-44. Epub 2007 Apr 25.

Antioxidant effect of the marine algae Chlorella vulgaris against naphthalene-induced oxidative stress in the albino rats.

Vijayavel K, Anbuselvam C, Balasubramanian MP. Department of Pharmacology and Environmental Toxicology, Dr ALM Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Taramani, Chennai, 600 113, Tamil Nadu, India. viji222@...

Alcoholic extract of the marine algae Chlorella vulgaris was examined for its free radical scavenging effect with reference to naphthalene-induced lipid peroxidation in serum, liver, and kidney of rats. Initially, upon naphthalene intoxication (435 mg/kg body weight, intraperitoneally), the lipid peroxidation activity increased significantly (P < 0.001), and in contrast, the enzymic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase) and non-enzymic antioxidants (glutathione, ascorbic acid, and alpha-tocopherol) levels decreased remarkably. When the naphthalene stressed rats were treated with Chlorella vulgaris extract (70 mg/kg body weight, orally), the lipid peroxidation activity reduced significantly (P < 0.001) and the activities of both the enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidants increased reaching near control values. The minimum concentration (70 mg/l) of the extract that exhibited maximum (85%) free radical scavenging activity was chosen for the experimental study. The present results suggest that Chlorella vulgaris extract exerts its chemo-preventive effect by modulating the antioxidants status and lipid peroxidation during naphthalene intoxication. PMID: 17457522 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2006 Dec;52(6):457-66.

Effect of chlorella and its fractions on blood pressure, cerebral stroke lesions, and life-span in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Sansawa H, Takahashi M, Tsuchikura S, Endo H. Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, 1796 Yaho, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan. hiroshi-sansawa@...

Effects of Chlorella regularis (dried cell powder)--cultured axenically under heterotrophic conditions, and provided as a dietary supplement--and its fractions on the blood pressure, cerebral stroke lesions, and life-span of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP/Izm) were investigated. When SHRSP were fed on diets with supplemented Chlorella to a commercial diet (Funabashi SP), elevation of blood pressure was significantly lower in the Chlorella groups than in the control group. At 21 wk of feeding, serum total cholesterol was significantly lower in the Chlorella groups than in the control group. Histopathological examination revealed cerebral vascular accidents in the brains of the control group, but those of Chlorella groups showed apparently low incidence compared to the control group. The average life-span of the Chlorella groups were significantly longer than that of the control group (p < 0.001). Chlorella powder was fractionated into three fractions, lipid-soluble, hot water-soluble, and residual fractions. The diets supplemented with lipid or residual fractions equivalent to 10% Chlorella significantly suppressed elevation of blood pressure in SHRSP, and then decreased the incidence rate of cerebral vessel lesions compared to the control group. Chemical analysis revealed that the lipid fraction contained large quantities of antioxidants, including carotenoids (especially lutein) and others, and phospholipids involved in aorta collagen and elastin metabolism; the residual fraction contained high concentrations of arginine, enhancing the function of blood vessels. The control diet contained only a little these substances. These experimental results suggest that the beneficial effect of Chlorella on SHRSP is caused by the synergistic action of several ingredients of Chlorella, which play a role in sustention of a vascular function of rats. PMID: 17330510 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

9: Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(4):380-6. Epub 2006 Jun 29.

Oral administration of hot water extracts of Chlorella vulgaris increases physical stamina in mice.

An HJ, Choi HM, Park HS, Han JG, Lee EH, Park YS, Um JY, Hong SH, Kim HM. College of Oriental Medicine, Institute of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, Korea.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: A unicellular algae, Chlorella vulgaris, was used as a biological response modifier. Although hot water extracts of C. vulgaris (CVE) are thought to augment immune responses, the effect of CVE on fatigue and physical stamina has not been studied. METHODS: In the present study, we investigated the effect of CVE on forced swimming test and blood biochemical parameters related to fatigue, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatine kinase (CK), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), glucose (Glc), and total protein (TP). CVE (0.05-0.15 g/kg/day) was orally administered to mice. RESULTS: After 7 days, the immobility time was decreased in the 0.1- and 0.15-g/kg CVE-treated groups (179 +/- 8.3 and 175 +/- 2.1 s) in comparison with the control group (223 +/- 5.4 s). In addition, the contents of BUN, CK, and LDH in the blood serum were decreased in the CVE-fed group. However, they had no effect on the elevation of Glc and TP level. CONCLUSIONS: The results predict a potential benefit of CVE for enhancing immune function and improving physical stamina. Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Publication Types: * Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't PMID: 16809907 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

10: Chemosphere. 2005 Dec;61(9):1244-55. Epub 2005 Jun 27.

Maternal-fetal distribution and transfer of dioxins in pregnant women in Japan, and attempts to reduce maternal transfer with Chlorella (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) supplements.

Nakano S, Noguchi T, Takekoshi H, Suzuki G, Nakano M. Saiseikai Nara Hospital, 4-chome, 8-jyo, Nara, Nara 630-8145, Japan. htakekoshi@...

Dioxins can be transferred from mother to fetus via the placenta, or to nursing infants via breast milk, potentially causing developmental health problems in children. To assess pediatric health risks from dioxins, exposure of mothers and children to dioxins must be clarified. Methods of reducing maternal transfer of dioxins should also be investigated. Concentrations of 28 dioxin (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and co-planar polychlorinated biphenyls) congeners in blood, adipose tissue, breast milk, cord blood and placenta collected from 44 pregnant Japanese women were measured. In addition, to investigate potential reductions in maternal transfer of dioxins, 23 pregnant women were instructed to take Chlorella pyrenoidosa supplements during pregnancy. Correlations were observed between dioxin total toxic equivalents (total TEQ) in blood and total TEQ in adipose tissue (r=0.913, P<0.0001), breast milk (r=0.695, P=0.0007), and cord blood (r=0.759, P<0.0001). Dioxin levels transferred to fetuses and nursing infants reflect cumulative maternal concentrations of dioxins. A linear regression equation was introduced to predict total TEQ in breast milk and cord blood from dioxin levels in maternal blood, which should prove useful in evaluating fetal and infant risk of dioxin exposure. Total TEQ in cord blood were approximately 26% lower than in maternal blood (P<0.0001). The results of this study suggest that transplacental transfer differs depending on the dioxin congener. Total TEQ in breast milk were approximately 30% lower in the Chlorella group than in controls (P=0.0113). This finding suggests that maternal transfer of dioxins can be reduced using dietary measures such as Chlorella supplements. PMID: 15985279 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]