Green lipped mussel

Green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) is a shellfish, from which an extract has been shown to be useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis due to it’s excellent anti-inflammatory, lubricative and soothing properties and ability to help maintain joint mobility.

One of the major benefits demonstrated by scientific studies is that the extract is gentle on the stomach.

Green-lipped mussel inhibits inflammation in the body. Although inflammation is normal under certain conditions, consistent or excessive inflammation can result in pain and damage to the body, including the joints. The human body makes several chemical mediators of inflammation. Levels of these chemicals in the body may be higher in people with RA who are experiencing symptoms than in symptom-free people with arthritis. Evidence indicates that controlling the production of inflammatory mediators in the body may help improve conditions such as arthritis, asthma, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease (including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease).

Research on green-lipped mussel has focused primarily on OA and RA. In one trial, both freeze-dried powder and lipid extract of green-lipped mussel were effective at reducing symptoms in 70% of people with OA and 76% of people with RA. A similar study of people with either OA or RA showed green-lipped mussel reduced pain in 50% and 67% of the patients, respectively, after three months of supplementation.

Green-lipped mussels are found in the oceans off New Zealand.

Brien S, Prescott P, Coghlan B, Bashir N, Lewith G.

Department of Primary Care, University of Southampton, Aldermoor Health Centre, Aldermoor Close, Southampton S016 5ST, UK. sbb@soton.ac.uk.

Complementary treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) are sought by patients for symptomatic relief and to avoid the iatrogenic effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of the nutritional supplement Perna Canaliculus (green-lipped mussel, GLM) in the treatment of OA and substantially adds to previous work by focussing solely on GLM use in OA as well providing a re-analysis of the original trial data. Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials (comparative, placebo-controlled or crossover) were considered for inclusion from Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, Amed, Cinahl, Scopus and NeLH databases where adults with OA of any joint were randomized to receive either GLM vs. placebo, no additional intervention (usual care), or an active intervention. The methodological quality of the trials was assessed using the JADAD scale. Four RCTs were included, three placebo controlled, the fourth a comparative trial of GLM lipid extract vs. stabilized powder extract. No RCTs comparing GLM to conventional treatment were identified. All four studies assessed GLM as an adjunctive treatment to conventional medication for a clinically relevant time in mild to moderate OA. All trials reported clinical benefits in the GLM treatment group but the findings from two studies cannot be included in this review because of possible un-blinding and inappropriate statistical analysis. The data from the two more rigorous trials, in conjunction with our re-analysis of original data suggests that GLM may be superior to placebo for the treatment of mild to moderate OA. As a credible biological mechanism exists for this treatment, further rigorous investigations are required to assess efficacy and optimal dosage.

Pearson W, Orth MW, Karrow NA, Maclusky NJ, Lindinger MI.

Department Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1. wpearson@cantox.com

New Zealand green lipped mussel (NZGLM), abalone (AB), and shark cartilage (SC) are extensively used for treatment of and/or as preventatives for arthritis, despite a relative paucity of scientific evidence for efficacy. This research integrated a simulated digestion protocol with ultrafiltration and cartilage explants to generate new information on the anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective properties of NZGLM, SC, and AB. Each nutraceutical was artificially digested using simulated gastric and intestinal fluids, and the crude digest was ultrafiltered (50 kDa). Each filtrate was applied individually to cartilage explants before the explants were stimulated with IL-1 to induce an acute inflammatory response. Media were collected daily for 48 h and analyzed for prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), glycosaminoglycan (GAG), and nitric oxide (NO), and cartilage tissue was differentially stained to determine the relative proportion of live and dead cells. SC and NZGLM significantly inhibited IL-1-induced PGE(2) synthesis and IL-1-induced GAG release, and AB was an effective inhibitor of IL-1-induced NO production. The three test nutraceuticals affect at least three major pathways involved in the catabolic cycle of arthritis and may prove important treatments and/or preventatives for the pain and degradation associated with this condition. The methodology and results describe a useful model for evaluating dietary nutraceuticals in vitro.

Treschow AP, Hodges LD, Wright PF, Wynne PM, Kalafatis N, Macrides TA.

Natural Products Research Group, School of Medical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia.

The present study has identified in the marine mollusc, Perna canaliculus, an homologous series of novel omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA) with significant anti-inflammatory (AI) activity. The free fatty acid (FFA) class was isolated from a supercritical-CO2 lipid extract of the tartaric acid-stabilised freeze-dried mussel powder by normal phase chromatography, followed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The RP-HPLC involved separation based on carbon numbers, followed by argentation-HPLC (Ag-HPLC) of the methyl esters based on degree of unsaturation. Identification of the FFA components was performed using gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionisation detection, and individual structures were assigned by GC-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Inhibition of leukotriene production by stimulated human neutrophils was used as an in vitro screening method to test the AI activity of the purified PUFAs. A structurally related family of omega-3 PUFAs was identified in the most bioactive fractions, which included C18:4, C19:4, C20:4, and C21:5 PUFA. The C20:4 was the predominant PUFA in the extract, and was a structural isomer of arachidonic acid (AA). The novel compounds may be biologically significant as AI agents, as a result of their in vitro inhibition of lipoxygenase products of the AA pathway.