Chlorophyllin refers to any one of a group of closely related

water-soluble In chemistry, solubility is the ability of a substance, the solute, to form a solution with another substance, the solvent. Insolubility is the opposite property, the inability of the solute to form such a solution. The extent of the solub ...

salts that are semi-synthetic derivatives of

chlorophyll Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy ...

, differing in the identity of the cations associated with the anion. Its most common form is a

sodium Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

derivative used as a

food additive Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives, such as vinegar ( pickling), salt ( salting), smoke ( smoking) and sugar ( crystallization), have been used f ...

and in

alternative medicine Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...

. As a food coloring agent, copper complex chlorophyllin is known as natural green 3 and has the

E number E numbers, short for Europe numbers, are codes for substances used as food additives, including those found naturally in many foods, such as vitamin C, for use within the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Commonly ...

E141.

Uses

Alternative medicine

Chlorophyllin is the active ingredient in a number of internally taken preparations intended to reduce odors associated with incontinence, colostomies, and similar procedures, as well as

body odor Body odor or body odour (BO) is present in all animals and its intensity can be influenced by many factors (behavioral patterns, survival strategies). Body odor has a strong genetic basis, but can also be strongly influenced by various factors, ...

in general. Also in recent years it has been used as a home remedy to treat acne and skin conditions such as pimples or blackheads, thanks to its antimicrobial effect. It is also available as a topical preparation, purportedly useful for both treatment and odor control of wounds, injuries,

radiation burn A radiation burn is a damage to the skin or other biological tissue and organs as an effect of radiation. The radiation types of greatest concern are thermal radiation, radio frequency energy, ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation. The most ...

s, and other skin conditions. The origins of these unsubstantiated medical claims were findings from research by F. Howard Westcott in the 1940s that it was an odor blocker. The commercial value of this attribute in advertising led to many companies creating brands containing the compound in 1950–1953 in particular. It was used as a marketing tool to promote toothpaste, sanitary towels, soap and other products. However, it was soon determined that the hype surrounding chlorophyll or chlorophyllin was not warranted and the underlying research may even have been a hoax. As a result, brands rapidly discontinued its use. In the 2020s, it again became the subject of unsubstantiated medical claims, as social media influencers promoted its use in the form of "chlorophyll water", for example.

3D printing

Chlorophyllin has been used as a biocompatible photoblocker for generating green colored hydrogels with complex inner structures.

Chemical properties

Chlorophyllin is water-soluble. ''

In vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning ''in glass'', or ''in the glass'') Research, studies are performed with Cell (biology), cells or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in ...

'', it binds to some environmental mutagens such as the

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon A Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is any member of a class of organic compounds that is composed of multiple fused aromatic rings. Most are produced by the incomplete combustion of organic matter— by engine exhaust fumes, tobacco, incine ...

s benzo 'a''yrene and dibenzo 'a'',''i''yrene. Chlorophyllin also binds to acridine orange.

Biological properties

Chlorophyllin has been validated to exhibit ameliorative effects against

induced

genotoxicity Genotoxicity is the chemical property, property of chemical agents that damage the genetic information within a cell causing mutations, which may lead to cancer. While genotoxicity is often confused with mutagenicity, all mutagens are genotoxic, bu ...

(elevating the expression of DNA repair proteins p53 and PARP) and mitochondrial dysfunction and may be used as a therapeutic tool for the management of diseases like

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

. It has shown to modulate several protein functions including the expression of

cytokine Cytokines () are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling. Cytokines are produced by a broad range of cells, including immune cells like macrophages, B cell, B lymphocytes, T cell, T lymphocytes ...

proteins NFkβ and IFNγ.

References

External links

*
Chlorophyll and Chlorophyllin
, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311014241/http://www.cnn.com/video/us/2002/02/27/jm.body.mint.cnn.med.html , date=2007-03-11

Dietary supplements Food additives Copper complexes Tetrapyrroles E-number additives