Micronized mother-of-pearl: benefits, dosage, contraindications
Other name(s)
Aragonite
Scientific name(s)
Pinctada maxima
Family or group:
Aquatic organisms
Active ingredients:
Calcium carbonate
Polysaccharides
Indications
Scoring methodology
EFSA approval.
Bone health ✪✪✪✪✪
Several experiments have highlighted the qualities of nacre, which promote bone regeneration and also compensate for bone loss, consolidating bones damaged by an accident, by wear, or by diseases such as periodontal disease or osteoporosis. nnNew potential therapeutic applications are being developed. They concern orthopedics aimed at repairing traumatic or pathological skeletal defects but also troubling diseases like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, which will be addressed both preventively and curatively. Nacre has been used in endosseous implants, in the form of shaped pieces or as a powder.nn
Posologie
Orally
powder
Nacre, a substitute for bone
The water-soluble matrix fraction derived from the nacre of Pinctada maxima produces earlier mineralization of mouse MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts
Bio-calcium supplementation from Pinctada Maxima shells in patients with reduced bone mineral density
Osteoporosis ✪✪✪✪✪
Nacre has all the qualities to regulate bone metabolism in a way that helps the body preserve an optimal skeletal reserve and can also help repair its deficits. nnA clinical study shows that taking a bio-calcium, in powder form from Pinctada maxima shell, at a dose equivalent to 260 mg of elemental calcium for 6 months, has greater efficacy in improving bone density, good gastrointestinal tolerance, and satisfactory safety, compared with taking 500 mg of inorganic calcium. nnnn
Posologie
Orally
260 mg
6 - months
powder
Nacre, biomineralizations and pharmacopoeia
Nacre, a substitute for bone
The water-soluble matrix fraction derived from Pinctada maxima nacre induces earlier mineralization of mouse MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts
Bio-calcium supplementation from Pinctada maxima shells in patients with reduced bone mineral density
Osteoarthritis ✪✪✪✪✪
Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of chronic joint pain and affects all joints. Subchondral osteoarthritic osteoblasts display a mineralization defect. Several in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that nacre contains one or more signaling molecules capable of activating osteogenic bone marrow cells.nnIn this context, molecules were extracted from nacre and tested on osteoblasts from the subchondral bone of osteoarthritic patients. The nacre extract was able to rapidly restore the mineralization capacity of osteoarthritic osteoblasts, thereby confirming nacre's potential as a source of osteogenic compounds.nn
Posologie
Orally
powder
Skin health ✪✪✪✪✪
Mother-of-pearl, in the form of pearl powder, has been present since Antiquity in the traditional Egyptian, Asian and Native American pharmacopeias. Mother-of-pearl was mainly used to prevent sunburns and to soothe them. The Chinese also use mother-of-pearl in skin care. Women rub their faces with polished mother-of-pearl. This practice is known to promote blood circulation and to balance the bioelectric potential of epidermal cells, which would facilitate the transfer of trace elements and mother-of-pearl molecules through the skin, thereby enhancing its benefit.
Posologie
Orally
powder
Properties
Bone density
Nacre is chemically different from bone since its mineral phase is made of calcium carbonate rather than calcium phosphate. However, calcium carbonate still remains in bone associated with phosphate, albeit in a small proportion. The mechanisms of bone and nacre formation both result from the activity of specialized cells. Indeed, certain molecules in nacre act on the cells that drive bone remodeling — the osteoclasts — by inhibiting their activity.nnThe organic matrix isolated from the nacre of the pearl oyster Pinctada maxima or from its cousin Pinctada margaritifera can stimulate bone or cartilage cells and their precursors not only to repair or maintain these tissues but also to lead to the eventual formation of physiologically healthy, active tissues. In vitro and in vivo studies, in fact, suggest that nacre contains one or more signaling molecules capable of activating osteogenic bone marrow cells.nn
Usages associés
Dermatological effect
Some protein molecules, as well as lipids, present in nacre act on skin cells at various levels — notably on dermal fibroblasts and on the germinal stem cells of the epidermis — and thus contribute to optimally regulating epidermal stratification; a source of good skin health.nn
Usages associés
Safe dosage
Adult:
The shell of Pinctada maxima has been used in powder form with good gastrointestinal tolerance and satisfactory safety.
