Green-Lipped Mussel Study re Inflammation

Byron's Comments:

This study is being used to promote the rediculous assertion that fish oil is obsolete. The primary function of fish oil in heart health is not anti-inflammatory in nature, although fish oil does provide anti-inflammatory benefit when taken consistently for months (this is a 16 day study). In others words, the assertions of network marketing company related indivdiuals, if you are concerned about your heart health, is irrelevant based on the information in this study.

Study Title:

Anti-inflammatory activity of a lipid fraction (lyprinol) from the NZ green-lipped mussel.

Study Abstract:

A lipid-rich extract, preparared by supercritical fluid extraction of fresh stabilized mussel powder (Lyprinol), showed significant anti-inflammatory (AI) activity given therapeutically and prophylactically po to Wistar and Dark Agouti rats developing either (a) adjuvant-induced polyarthritis or (b) collagen(II)-induced autoallergic arthritis, with ED50≤15 mg/kg; c.f. naproxen≥25 mg/kg or various therapeutic oils (flaxseed, evening primrose, fish)≥1800 mg/kg given orally. Lyprinol showed little or no activity in acute irritation assays (carrageenan, kaolin, histamine) indicating it is not mimicking rapid-acting NSAIDs.

Incorporating Lyprinol into arthritigenic adjuvants composed of heat-killed Mycobacterium. tuberculosis suspended in olive oil or squalane, effectively prevented arthritis development at a dose of 5 mg/rat. By contrast, ‘dummy adjuvants’ prepared with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and flaxseed, evening primrose or fish oils were still arthritigenic in Dark Agouti rats (doses of oil=90 mg/rat).

Lyprinol subfractions inhibited leukotriene-B4 biosynthesis by stimulated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes in vitro, and prostaglandin-E2 production by activated human macrophages in vitro. Much of this AI activity was associated with polyunsaturated fatty acids and natural antoxidants (carotenoids, etc.).

In contrast to NSAIDs, Lyprinol is non-gastrotoxic in disease-stressed rats at 300 mg/kg po and does not seem to affect platelet aggregation (human, rat). These data show Lyprinol to be a reproducible, relatively stable, source of bioactive lipids with much greater potency than plant/marine oils currently used as nutritional supplements to ameliorate signs of inflammation.

Study Information:

M. W. Whitehouse, T. A. Macrides, N. Kalafatis, W. H. Betts, D. R. Haynes and J. Broadbent. Anti-inflammatory activity of a lipid fraction (lyprinol) from the NZ green-lipped mussel. Inflammopharmacology 1997 September Volume 5, Number 3
Department of Medicine, University of Queensland, Princess Alexandra Hospital, 4102 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Full Study:

http://www.omegaharmony.com/pdfs/02_Whitehouse_Study.pdf