Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if Porphyra tenera extract (PTE) has\nimmune-enhancing effects and is safe in healthy adults. Methods: Subjects who met the inclusion\ncriteria were recruited for this study. Enrolled subjects (n = 120) were randomly assigned to either the PTE group (n = 60) and were\ngiven 2.5 g/day of PTE (as PTE) in capsule form or the placebo group (n = 60) and were given\ncrystal cellulose capsules with the identical appearance, weight, and flavor as the PTE capsules for\n8 weeks. Outcomes were assessed based on measuring natural killer (NK) cell activity, cytokines\nlevel, and upper respiratory infection (URI), and safety parameters were assessed at baseline and\n8 weeks. Results: Compared with baseline, NK cell activity (%) increased for all effector cell-to-target\ncell ratios in the PTE group after 8 weeks; however, changes were not observed in the placebo group\n(p < 0.10). Subgroup analysis of 101 subjects without URI showed that NK cell activity in the PTE\ngroup tended to increase for all effector cell/target cell (E:T) ratios (E:T = 12.5:1 p = 0.068; E:T = 25:1\np = 0.036; E:T = 50:1 p = 0.081) compared with the placebo group. A significant difference between\nthe two groups was observed for the E:T = 25:1 ratio, which increased from 20.3 12.0% at baseline\nto 23.2 12.4% after 8 weeks in the PTE group (p = 0.036). A significant difference was not observed\nin cytokine between the two groups. Conclusion: PTE supplementation appears to enhance immune\nfunction by improving NK cell activity without adverse effects in healthy adults.
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