Fucoxanthin
IUPAC name	Acetic acid [(1S,3R)-3-hydroxy-4-[(3E,5E,7E,9E,11E,13E,15E)-18-[(1S,4S,6R)-4-hydroxy-2,2,6-trimethyl-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptan-1-yl]-3,7,12,16-tetramethyl-17-oxooctadeca-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15-octaenylidene]-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl] ester
Identifiers
CAS number	3351-86-8
PubChem	5281239
SMILES	C\C(=C/C=C/C=C(\C)/C=C/C=C(\C)/C(=O)C[C@]12C(C[C@@H](C[C@]1(O2)C)O)(C)C)\C=C\C=C(/C)\C=C=C3C(C[C@@H](C[C@@]3(C)O)OC(=O)C)(C)CC
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^[update], no human studies on fucoxanthin have been published, so it remains to be seen whether it is of any value in human obesity.

[edit] 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

[edit] Other Studies

• Isolation and characterisation of four allenic (6′S)-isomers of Fucoxanthin (by Jarle André Haugan and Synnøve Liaaen-Jensen.Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. 1994)

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