User:IHoversten/Chlorophyll a

Medicinal Applications
Chlorophyll a and its degradation products, pheohytin a (chlorophyll a molecule lacking a magnesium ion), have been proven to be anti-inflammatory agents. Specific studies noted its use in inhibiting bacterial lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-α (a cytokine rsponsible for inflammation) in HEK293 cells, carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice, formalin-induced paw edema in rats, and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate-induced NF-κB. Components of chlorophyll a have also shown importance in reducing inflammation pharmacologically, contributing to chlorophyll a's overall effectiveness as an inhibitor. Phytol, another degradant of chlorophyll, is an isoprenoid alcohol bound by an ester linkage to chlorophyll, has been particularly shown to be useful in treating arthritis. Its use lies in its ability to inhibit joint swelling and hyperalgesia in patients, as well as reduce myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and p38MAPK and NFκB signaling pathways.

Chlorophyll a's anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to its strength as an anti-oxidant, have also contributed to its anti-aging abilities. Chlorophyll a minimizes effects of aging by reducing collagen degradation and or increasing collagen synthesis. Collagen peptides and proteoglycans provide building blocks of the dermal matrix, conserving the skin's elasticity, hydration, and density.

Chlorophylls are also used clinically as anticarcinogens, due to their use in photodynamic therapy of tumors. Chlorophylls reduce carcinogenic activity by modulating gene expression patterns in cells in directions that favor carcinogen detoxication pathways. However, it must be noted that chlorophyll has been shown to have the opposite effect and instead increases carcinogenic activity when carcinogens are present in abnormally large quantities. Chlorophyll is also able to decrease carcinogenic activity by binding to cancerous cells in the intestinal lumen, preventing absorption by the body. Chlorophyll a has also been linked to substantially decreased aflatoxin-induced DNA damage (correlated with hepatic cancer) when consumed regularly.

In 1950, Dr. Franklin Howard Westcott began marketing chlorophyll as a reliever of body odor, including use orally, in the underarms, and in some cases for wounds such as those of colonoscopy patients. His initial experimentation, notably unpublished, involved a doctor and four nurses. The subjects used an osmoscope 24 hours after they had taken baths to measure the intensity of their body odors. Westcott claims that it was found that underarm odor was reduced by 50% or more for as long as 18 hours after a dose of a chlorophyll tablet. Results were later replicated and confirmed by a group of 12 college girls under his experimentation. These experimental claims have ultimately been debunked since chlorophyll cannot be absorbed by the human body, thereby having no effect on body odor or those with halitosis.