Trial reportJournal of medicinal food2016
Clinical Safety of a High Dose of Phycocyanin-Enriched Aqueous Extract from Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis: Results from a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study with a Focus on Anticoagulant Activity and Platelet Activation.
Trial report in Journal of medicinal food, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
- Spirulina supplementation and rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review of current research and molecular mechanisms.Molecular biology reports · 2025Pooled it
- The Role ofNutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of spirulina supplementation alone or with exercise on cardiometabolic health in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Effect ofNutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Quantifying the Effect of Supplementation with Algae and Its Extracts on Glycolipid Metabolism: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Nutrients · 2020Pooled it
- Improved Joint Mobility Associated with Reduced Inflammation Related to Consumption of Nopal Cactus Fruit Juice: Results from a Placebo-Controlled Trial Using Digital Inclinometry to Objectively Document Mobility of All Major Joints.Clinical interventions in aging · 2020Trial
- Safety evaluation of blue galdieria extract as a food additive.EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority · 2026Article
- C-Phycocyanin ameliorates ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome by mitigating inflammation and enhances fertility in an OHSS mouse model.Journal of ovarian research · 2026Article
- Iron biofortification as a promising strategy to improve productivity and nutritional value of Arthrospira platensis (spirulina).Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Neuroprotective Effects of C-Phycocyanin in Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress-Exposed Rats: Regulation of Neuroinflammation and CREB/BDNF Signaling.Neurochemical research · 2026Article
- Microalgae and exercise: from molecular mechanisms and brain health to clinical perspectives in the context of 3P medicine.The EPMA journal · 2025Review
- Narrative Review of the Current and Future Perspectives of Phycobiliproteins' Applications in the Food Industry: From Natural Colors to Alternative Proteins.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- C-Phycocyanin andNutrients · 2022Article
- Needle-free, spirulina-produced Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite vaccination provides sterile protection against pre-erythrocytic malaria in mice.NPJ vaccines · 2022Article
- The Potential ofNutrients · 2022Review
- Hybrid laser activated phycocyanin/capecitabine treatment of cancerous MCF7 cells.Biomedical optics express · 2022Article
- Dietary supplements and bleeding.Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center) · 2022Review
- Nutraceutical and therapeutic potential of Phycocyanobilin for treating Alzheimer's disease.Journal of biosciences · 2021Review
- C-Phycocyanin-derived Phycocyanobilin as a Potential Nutraceutical Approach for Major Neurodegenerative Disorders and COVID-19- induced Damage to the Nervous System.Current neuropharmacology · 2021Article
- C-phycocyanin: a natural product with radiosensitizing property for enhancement of colon cancer radiation therapy efficacy through inhibition of COX-2 expression.Scientific reports · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The goal for this study was to evaluate safety regarding anticoagulant activity and platelet activation during daily consumption of an aqueous cyanophyta extract (ACE), containing a high dose of phycocyanin. Using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design, 24 men and women were enrolled after informed consent, and consumed either ACE (2.3 g/day) or placebo daily for 2 weeks. The ACE dose was equivalent to ∼1 g phycocyanin per day, chosen based on the highest dose Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Consuming ACE did not alter markers for platelet activation (P-selectin expression) or serum P-selectin levels. No changes were seen for activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin clotting time, or fibrinogen activity. Serum levels of aspartate transaminase (AST) showed a significant reduction after 2 weeks of ACE consumption (P < .001), in contrast to placebo where no changes were seen; the difference in AST levels between the two groups was significant at 2 weeks (P < .02). Reduced levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) were also seen in the group consuming ACE (P < .08). Previous studies showed reduction of chronic pain when consuming 1 g ACE per day. The higher dose of 2.3 g/day in this study was associated with significant reduction of chronic pain at rest and when physically active (P < .05). Consumption of ACE showed safety regarding markers pertaining to anticoagulant activity and platelet activation status, in conjunction with rapid and robust relief of chronic pain. Reduction in AST and ALT suggested improvement in liver function and metabolism.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.