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Fucoxanthin

 

 
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Fucoxanthin
 
 
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Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid
Carotenoid

Carotenoids are organic compound pigments that are naturally occurring in chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthesis organisms like algae, some types of fungus and some bacterium....
, with formula C42H58O6. It is found as an accessory pigment
Pigment

A pigment is a material that changes the color of light it Reflection as the result of selective color absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which the material itself emits light....
 in the chloroplast
Chloroplast

Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and other eukaryote organisms that conduct photosynthesis. Chloroplasts capture light energy to conserve Thermodynamic free energy in the form of Adenosine triphosphate and reduce NADP to NADPH through a complex set of processes called photosynthesis....
s of brown algae
Brown algae

The Phaeophyceae or brown algae, is a large group of mostly Ocean multicellular algae, including many seaweeds of colder Northern Hemisphere waters....
 and most other heterokont
Heterokont

The heterokonts or stramenopiles are a major line of eukaryotes presently containing about 10,500 known species. Most are algae, ranging from the giant multicellular kelp to the unicellular diatoms, which are a primary component of plankton....
s, giving them a brown or olive-green color. Fucoxanthin absorbs light primarily in the blue-green to yellow-green part of the visible spectrum
Visible spectrum

The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visual perception to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called visible light or simply light....
, 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
Hokkaido University

, or , is one of the leading national university of Japan. It is considered as a member of the National Seven Universities. It is situated in downtown Sapporo, just north of Sapporo Station, and stretching approximately 2.4 kilometers northward....
 indicate that fucoxanthin promotes fat burning within fat cells in white adipose tissue
Adipose tissue

In histology, adipose tissue or fat is loose connective tissue composed of adipocytes. Adipose tissue is derived from lipoblasts. Its main role is to store energy in the form of fat, although it also cushions and Thermal insulation the body....
 by increasing the expression of thermogenin
Thermogenin

Thermogenin is an uncoupling protein found in the Mitochondrion of brown adipose tissue . It is used to generate heat by non-shivering thermogenesis....
.






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Encyclopedia


Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid
Carotenoid

Carotenoids are organic compound pigments that are naturally occurring in chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthesis organisms like algae, some types of fungus and some bacterium....
, with formula C42H58O6. It is found as an accessory pigment
Pigment

A pigment is a material that changes the color of light it Reflection as the result of selective color absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which the material itself emits light....
 in the chloroplast
Chloroplast

Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and other eukaryote organisms that conduct photosynthesis. Chloroplasts capture light energy to conserve Thermodynamic free energy in the form of Adenosine triphosphate and reduce NADP to NADPH through a complex set of processes called photosynthesis....
s of brown algae
Brown algae

The Phaeophyceae or brown algae, is a large group of mostly Ocean multicellular algae, including many seaweeds of colder Northern Hemisphere waters....
 and most other heterokont
Heterokont

The heterokonts or stramenopiles are a major line of eukaryotes presently containing about 10,500 known species. Most are algae, ranging from the giant multicellular kelp to the unicellular diatoms, which are a primary component of plankton....
s, giving them a brown or olive-green color. Fucoxanthin absorbs light primarily in the blue-green to yellow-green part of the visible spectrum
Visible spectrum

The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visual perception to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called visible light or simply light....
, 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
Hokkaido University

, or , is one of the leading national university of Japan. It is considered as a member of the National Seven Universities. It is situated in downtown Sapporo, just north of Sapporo Station, and stretching approximately 2.4 kilometers northward....
 indicate that fucoxanthin promotes fat burning within fat cells in white adipose tissue
Adipose tissue

In histology, adipose tissue or fat is loose connective tissue composed of adipocytes. Adipose tissue is derived from lipoblasts. Its main role is to store energy in the form of fat, although it also cushions and Thermal insulation the body....
 by increasing the expression of thermogenin
Thermogenin

Thermogenin is an uncoupling protein found in the Mitochondrion of brown adipose tissue . It is used to generate heat by non-shivering thermogenesis....
. , no human studies on fucoxanthin have been published, so it remains to be seen whether it is of any value in human obesity.