Seaweed (fucus) oil

BOTANY

Fucus vesiculosus L. Commonly known as fucus. This seaweed belongs to the Fucaceae family.This
familiar olive-brown seaweed has a thin, branched and coriaceous thallus. Fucus is a member of the
brown algae, Phaeophyceae, in which the green color of chlorophyll is masked by brown-colored
pigments. The thallus is 1-1.5cm wide and up to 1m long; it bears woody fronds with thick midribs, forked
at the tips. Reproductive structures occur at the tips of the fronds.
Wild fucus is widely spread in the shallow waters of the northeastern Atlantic rocky coasts, mainly in the
English Channel, Baltic Sea, North Sea and Britain and also in the eastern coasts of the United States.
This seaweed covers large surfaces of certain Atlantic regions known as the Sargasso Sea.

Seaweed (fucus) oil is an oily extract produced by maceration of Fucus vesiculosus in sunflower oil
(Helianthus annuus).

CHEMISTRY

Lipids
Fucus has a complex lipid composition. In particular, it contains the following lipids:

Fatty acids
Table 1 lists the fatty acids composition of fucus.

Total lipids 1.0

C14:0 6.3
C16:0 6.9
C16:19 0.7
C18:0 1.2
C18:19 9.9
Fatty acids composition (% extract total lipids)
C18:26 4.9
(a)
C18:33 3.4
C18:43 2.4
C20:46 7.4
C20:53 3.8
C22:63 0.4
Table 1. Fatty acids composition of the lipids in Fucus vesiculosus; (a): % dry weight (Le
Tutour B et al., 1998).

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Neutral lipids, glycolipids and phospholipids
Le Tutour B et al. (1998) observed that fucus lipids could be grouped in: neutral lipids, glycolipids and
phospholipids.

Table 2 shows the composition (% total lipids) of the different types of lipids in fucus.

Neutral lipids Glycolipids Phospholipids

TAG Sterols MGDG DGDG SQDG PC PA PI PE PG DPG

88 12 47 18 35 8,9 1,7 59,1 6,3 14,4 9,5
Table 2. Composition of the different types of lipids in Fucus vesiculosus (% total lipids).
Abbreviations: TAG, triacylglycerol; MGDG, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol; DGDG,
digalactosyldiacylglycerol; SQDG, sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol; PC, phosphatidylcholine;
PA, phosphatidic acid; PI, phosphatidylinositol; PE, phosphatidylethanolamine; PG,
phosphatidylglycerol; DPG, diphosphatidylinositol (Le Tutour B et al., 1998).

Tocopherols
Le Tutour B et al. (1998) carried out a study to determine the tocopherol (vitamin E) content of fucus.

Yields (%) Tocopherol (mg/g) (b)

(a) -TH -TH -TH
1.7 4.3 1.7 2.2
Table 3. Tocopherol extraction yields
and content of Fucus vesiculosus; (a):
% dry weight; (b): in relation to the
extract (Le Tutour B et al., 1998).

Carotenoids
Fucoxanthin is a brown-colored carotenoid pigment present in Phaeophyceae seaweeds. This pigment
gives fucus its brown color.
Carotenoids include several hundreds of tetraterpene molecules made up of eight isoprene units. Their
characteristic chromophore, at least ten conjugated double bonds, explains their yellow or orange
coloration and markedly high sensitivity to oxidation.

TRADITIONAL USES

The species name vesiculosus refers to the typical air vesicles in the thallus of this seaweed. This plant
has been used since the ancient times; Plinius named it Quercus marina and used to prescribe it as an
analgesic for painful joints. Through the history, fucus has been one of the most extensively used
seaweeds as a food and medicine and, to a lesser degree, as a fertilizer. During the XVIII century it was
often used to treat asthma.

COSMETIC PROPERTIES

Antioxidant activity
Le Tutour B et al. (1998) investigated the antioxidant activity of Fucus vesiculosus. These authors
observed synergistic effects of fucus extract with the antioxidant action of vitamin E. They identified the
active principles in fucus extract, by dividing the extract in different fractions and evaluating the
synergistic effect of each fraction in combination with vitamin E using the oxygen consumption method.

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In the hexane-soluble fraction, the strong antioxidant agent -tocopherol has been identified. However,
some antioxidant activity was detected for all fractions. This later finding suggested that the antioxidant
effect of this extract involved more than one compound. Many liposoluble components usually found
in seaweed and also isolated in fucus such as carotenoids, have antioxidant activity. Fucoxanthin is
one of the main carotenoids in fucus. A Japanese patent studied the fucoxanthin antioxidant action and
found that this carotenoid significantly suppressed linoleic acid oxidation in the presence of 2,2-azo-bis-
isobutyronitrile (AIBN) at 60C. Additionally, phospholipids are considered synergistic with vitamin E in
regards to the antioxidant activity, especially phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC)
and phosphatidylserine (PS), all of which have been found in fucus.

The antioxidant activity of fucus is strengthened by that of sunflower oil. The antioxidant activity of the
later oil is due to its tocopherol (vitamin E) content. Tocopherols are very efficient antioxidant agents.
These active principles protect oils, cell membrane lipids and cell organelles from oxidation; -
tocopherol (vitamin E) has the strongest biological activity in the organism with very important actions in
the skin (Le Poole, H.A.C., 1995).

The antioxidant activity of vitamin E is due to its actual antioxidant action and to its free radical
scavenger action

Antioxidant activity:
Reduces the formation of lipoperoxides in the skin. The cell membrane is rich in highly
unsaturated phospholipids. The oxidation of these phospholipids, due to endogenous as well as
exogenous factors, produces lipoperoxides which destabilize the cell membrane and produce
skin ageing.
Free radical scavenger activity:
Protects the cells against free radicals, released by the lipoperoxides and involved in skin
ageing.

Therefore, seaweed (fucus) oil is recommendable to formulate cosmetic products to protect the skin and
hair integrity against oxidative processes.

Activity on subcutaneous fat accumulation

Phosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid present in abundance in cell membranes, which participates
actively in the structure and transport between the cells. This substance can alter cholesterol and other
lipids metabolism. It seems to be able to increase cholesterol solubility, alter the composition of fat
deposits, and inhibit plaque aggregation. For these reasons, phosphatidylcholine is used in treatments of
atheroma, hypercholesterolemia, embolism, fatty deposits, plaque adhering to arterial walls, etc. (Hexsel
D et al., 2003).

Fig.1. Structure of phosphatidylcholine

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The cosmetic use of phosphatidylcholine started in Italy. The first researcher to address to the possible
use of phosphatidylcholine to treat local fat deposits was the Italian physician Sergio Maggiori, at the
Fifth International Meeting of Mesotherapy in 1988, in Paris (France). He studied the use of
phosphatidylcholine in the treatment of xanthelasma (Hexsel D et al., 2003).

There is clinical evidence of the efficacy of phosphatidylcholine injections to treat localized fat. This
technique has been used in various clinical conditions involving fat deposits in the subcutaneous tissue.
Conventional treatments for these conditions are liposuction or dermolipectomy. Phosphatidylcholine
showed effective in these cases. The properties of this phospholipid evidence its potential as an
alternative treatment for conditions such as lipomas and localized fat on the thighs, hips, waist,
abdomen, neck, and lower third of the face (Hexsel D et al., 2003).

A theoretical action mechanism for this phosphatidylcholine activity has been proposed; this theory
assumes that phosphatidylcholine penetrates the adipocytes through the lipid bi-layer, acting as an
emulsifying/tensioactive agent, so that the physical-chemical characteristics of the stored lipids are
altered, making them more water soluble. This process would promote their elimination due to their non-
compatibility with the liposoluble material stored in the adipocyte (Hexsel D et al., 2003).

A study was carried out with volunteers, who presented different patterns of subcutaneous accumulation
of small amounts of fat. The volunteers were treated with subcutaneous injections of
phosphatidylcholine. In the majority of patients, there was a reduction in subcutaneous thickness (Hexsel
D et al., 2003).

Ablon G et al. (2004) conducted a clinical study on the treatment of lower eyelid fat pads (commonly
known as lower eyelid bags) by using phosphatidylcholine injections. Their results showed that
phosphatidylcholine injections were an efficient and less aggressive alternative to blepharoplasty.

Therefore, seaweed (fucus) oil is recommendable to formulate cosmetic products to reduce

subcutaneous fat accumulation.

Finally, we would like to mention that the publication Plants preparations used as ingredients of cosmetic
products (Council of Europe Publishing, 1994) includes a monograph on focus hydroalcoholic dry extract
and glycolic extract, which attributes it the following cosmetic effects, and recommends the following
maximum doses for this extracts:

soothing, smoothing, emollient

Up to 1% dry extract
Up to 10% glycolic extract in slimming products (baths, showers, gels, creams). Body creams
for massage

other possible effects

Stimulant, antirheumatic, antarthritic, antiobesity, emollient

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COSMETIC APPLICATIONS

Action Active Cosmetic Application

Fucus Sunflower oil
Tocopherol -Anti-aging
Antioxidant Carotenoids Tocopherol -Photo-protection
Phospholipids -Hair color protection
-Eyelid bags reduction
Action on subcutaneous fat Phosphatidylcholine -
-Body sculpting
accumulation

RECOMMENDED DOSE

The recommended dose is between 0.5% and 5.0%.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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