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Nutrients
Volume 18
Issue 14
10.3390/nu18142244
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Effect of an Ulva lactuca Extract on Systemic Antioxidant and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

by
Ralf Jäger
1,*,
Hendrik Luesch
2,3,
Martin Purpura
1,
Ashok Godavarthi
4,
Sebastian T. Balcombe
5 and
Ecaterina Vasenina
6
1
Increnovo LLC, Whitefish Bay, WI 53217, USA
2
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3), College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
3
Program in Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
4
Radiant Research Services Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore 560058, India
5
BluGen LLC, Boca Raton, FL 33432, USA
6
Human Performance Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance, The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2026, 18(14), 2244; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18142244
Submission received: 23 May 2026 / Revised: 25 June 2026 / Accepted: 6 July 2026 / Published: 9 July 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Clinical Nutrition)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Background:Ulva lactuca (sea lettuce) is a green macroalgae rich in sulfated polysaccharides (ulvans), polyphenols, and pigments with documented antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in preclinical models. Translational human data remain limited. Methods: Twenty healthy adults (20–35 years; BMI 18.5–30 kg/m2) were enrolled in a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial (CTRI/2025/11/097278) and assigned 1:1 to receive 300 mg of an U. lactuca extract or matched placebo once daily for 28 days. Antioxidant biomarkers (GSH, MDA, catalase, GPx-1, thioredoxin) and inflammatory biomarkers (CRP, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-11, PPAR-γ) were measured at Day 0 and Day 28. Safety was assessed throughout. Results: Eighteen of 20 participants completed the study. Compared with placebo, U. lactuca produced significant within-group improvements at Day 28 in GSH (+4.04 ng/mL), GPx-1 (+67.8 µU/mL), and catalase (+32.4 kU/L) and reductions in MDA (−6.08 nmol/mL) and thioredoxin (−1.48 ng/mL); inflammatory markers CRP (−0.91 mg/L), IL-6 (−2.97 pg/mL), IL-11 (−4.28 ± 1.88 ng/mL) and IL-1β (−8.87 pg/mL) decreased and PPAR-γ increased. Conclusions: In this short-duration pilot trial, daily supplementation with 300 mg of an U. lactuca extract was well tolerated and modulated systemic oxidative-stress and low-grade inflammatory biomarkers in healthy adults. Larger and longer studies in populations with elevated oxidative stress are warranted.
Keywords: sea lettuce; ulvan; oxidative stress; glutathione; glutathione peroxidase; catalase; interleukin-6; C-reactive protein; Nrf2; marine bioactives sea lettuce; ulvan; oxidative stress; glutathione; glutathione peroxidase; catalase; interleukin-6; C-reactive protein; Nrf2; marine bioactives

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MDPI and ACS Style

Jäger, R.; Luesch, H.; Purpura, M.; Godavarthi, A.; Balcombe, S.T.; Vasenina, E. Effect of an Ulva lactuca Extract on Systemic Antioxidant and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients 2026, 18, 2244. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18142244

AMA Style

Jäger R, Luesch H, Purpura M, Godavarthi A, Balcombe ST, Vasenina E. Effect of an Ulva lactuca Extract on Systemic Antioxidant and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2026; 18(14):2244. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18142244

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jäger, Ralf, Hendrik Luesch, Martin Purpura, Ashok Godavarthi, Sebastian T. Balcombe, and Ecaterina Vasenina. 2026. "Effect of an Ulva lactuca Extract on Systemic Antioxidant and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial" Nutrients 18, no. 14: 2244. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18142244

APA Style

Jäger, R., Luesch, H., Purpura, M., Godavarthi, A., Balcombe, S. T., & Vasenina, E. (2026). Effect of an Ulva lactuca Extract on Systemic Antioxidant and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 18(14), 2244. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18142244

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