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fucoxanthin

 
Dictionary: fu·co·xan·thin   (fyū'kō-zăn'thĭn) pronunciation

n.
A brown carotenoid pigment, C40H60O6, found in brown algae.

[FUC(US) + XANTH(O)- + -IN.]


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Wikipedia: Fucoxanthin
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Fucoxanthin
Fucoxanthin.svg
IUPAC name
Identifiers
CAS number 3351-86-8
PubChem 5281239
SMILES
Properties
Molecular formula C42H58O6
Molar mass 658.91 g/mol
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Fucoxanthin is a xanthophyll, with formula C42H58O6. It is found as an accessory pigment in the chloroplasts of brown algae and most other heterokonts, giving them a brown or olive-green color. Fucoxanthin absorbs light primarily in the blue-green to yellow-green part of the visible spectrum, peaking at around 510-525 nm by various estimates and absorbing significantly in the range of 450 to 540 nm. Some metabolic and nutritional studies carried out on rats and mice at Hokkaido University indicate that fucoxanthin promotes fat burning within fat cells in white adipose tissue by increasing the expression of thermogenin.[1] As of 2008, no human studies on fucoxanthin have been published, so it remains to be seen whether it is of any value in human obesity.

References

  1. ^ Maeda H, Hosokawa M, Sashima T, Funayama K, Miyashita K. Fucoxanthin from edible seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida, shows antiobesity effect through UCP1 expression in white adipose tissues. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005 Jul 1;332(2):392-7. PubMed

Other Studies



 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fucoxanthin" Read more