Green-lipped Mussel

Laboratory base investigations of a commercially prepared freeze-dried extract of the green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) showed that the material had the capacity to inhibit experimentally induced inflammation. The activity was thought to reside within an aqueous fraction containing high molecular weight material, possibly a polysaccharide.

In one study, a polysaccharide (glycogen) was extracted from Perna canaliculus and its anti-inflammatory activity was examined. The high molecular weight material was administered. I.V. and demonstrated a dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effect in rats with carrageenan-induced footpad edema. Mobilization of neutrophils to the site of the inflammatory stimulus was significantly reduced. This activity was lost if the glycogen extract was treated with KOH or proteinase K, suggesting that the inflammatory properties reside within a protein molecule associated with the glycogen.

There is no toxicity, cautions and contrain indications found.