SerenZea™ is a Zea mays (corn leaf)-derived, patented, clinically proven stress and mood health support ingredient that contains proprietary standardized natural compounds. SerenZea™ is clinically proven to reduce levels of a stress hormone, cortisol, and improve mood health.*

Corn leaves contain a naturally occurring compound called 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone (6-MBOA), which is known to act as a positive regulator of serotonin levels, leading to reduced cortisol and ameliorated mood health.

What Makes SerenZea™ Unique?

• SerenZea™ is known to contain biologically active compounds proven to induce rate limiting enzymes in the biosynthesis of serotonin.
• SerenZea™ was shown to be efficacious in reducing a stress hormone, cortisol, in human clinical studies.
• SerenZea™ was shown to improve overall mental well-being as it was measured by the Profile of Mood States(POMS) in human clinical studies.
• SerenZea™ was shown to be efficacious supporting mood and mental stress in human clinical studies.
• SerenZea™ is a naturally stable molecule, which improves shelf life and reduces overage required in formulation.

Serenzea™ Key Benefits

• Once-a-day dosing increases consumer compliance
• High compatibility in formulating with other ingredients
• Natural source of plant with a long history of safe human use
• Extensive in vivo safety testing with no adverse effects
• Patent protected

Plant Origin

Derived from leaves of Zea mays (corn or maize)

Applications

• Relieves mild to moderate everyday low mood
• Provides positive mood support and enhances emotional well-being
• Clinical proven to maintain a healthy level of cortisol
• Addresses occasional mental stress and mood swings

Formulation

Can be used as an active agent in tablets, capsules, liquids, powders, bars, gummies, gels, RTD and other delivery systems.

Physical Properties

Yellow to light tan powder that dissolves in alcohol, water and other common solvents

*Indications and claims related to the health benefits or property of an ingredient or product are intended for industry only and are governed in accordance with country-specific laws and regulations and may not be appropriate for final consumer products. In the United States, it is your responsibility to ensure that product claims and indications are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including the Federal FD&C Act and the FTC Act. In all other countries, please consult with a local regulatory or legal professional who may provide you with competent advice and guidance.

Discovery

SerenZea™’s unique formulation is derived from the leaf of immature Zea mays plants. Unigen researched the best species of corn and found optimized growth and harvesting conditions to produce a high quality of biomass for extraction with a consistent and standardized content of 6-MBOA.

Mechanism of Action

1. By supporting healthy cortisol levels
2. Regulating serotonin biosynthesis and inhibiting tryptophan dioxygenase

The mood health effects of SerenZea™ are derived from its main actives in supporting healthy cortisol levels, regulating serotonin biosynthesis and inhibiting tryptophan dioxygenase.*

Scientific Research

Clinical Data

Summary Highlights

• SerenZea™ shows significant improvement among adults with mild to moderate feelings of sadness and feelings of stress.*
• SerenZea™ showed a statistically significant dose-correlated reduction in salivary cortisol level compared to baseline and Placebo.*
• SerenZea™ supplementation improved overall well-being as measured by Profile of Mood States (POMS) scale.*
• SerenZea™ is effective at supporting mood and well-being at a small serving size and once-a-day dosage.*
• Safe for human consumption at the recommended daily dosages.*
• Non-habit forming and safe natural mood ingredient.*
• Substantiated by 2 clinical trials with 2 peer-reviewed publications.

Table 1

Conclusion

There was a clear and consistent benefit of SerenZea™ (UP165) in lowering stress hormone exposure (salivary cortisol – indicating improved stress resilience) and improving feelings of mental well-being, particularly with 36%-58% less tension, fatigue, confusion, and minor feelings of sadness from subjects orally supplemented with SerenZea™ . Unlike the salivary cortisol level, there was no dose-correlation in improvement of the profile of mood state. The efficacious dosage for improving mood well-being was 250 mg/day SerenZea™ (UP165 corn grass leaf extract; Zea mays) though a higher dosage at 500 mg/day showing quicker effects and a more consistent reduction of stress hormone.*

Product Safety

Safety is a top priority at Unigen. All the ingredients we develop undergo rigorous safety testing using state-of-the-art in vitro, pre-clinical, and human safety studies (for some ingredients).* SerenZea™ was found safe through these stringent safety studies.

References

1. Kalman DS, Feldman S, Vazquez RR, Krieger DR. A Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Study Evaluating UP165 and S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine on Depression, Anxiety and Psychological Well-Being. Foods 2015, 4, 130-139; doi:10.3390/foods4020130.
2. Gupta, A.; Sharma, P.K.; Garg, V.K.; Singh, A.K.; Mondal, S.C. Role of Serotonin in Seasonal Affective Disorder. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2013, 17, 49–55. 24.
3. Ng JY, Nazir Z, Nault H. Complementary and alternative medicine recommendations for depression: a systematic review and assessment of clinical practice guidelines. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 Oct 7;20(1):299.
4. Qureshi NA, Al-Bedah AM. Mood disorders and complementary and alternative medicine: a literature review. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2013;9: 639–58.
5. Tanda SE. The effect of 6-methoxy-2-benzoxazolinone (6-mboa) on indoleamine regulation and its possible role in depression. Master of science thesis. Faculty of Science Rhodes University, January 2000.
6. Walther, D.J.; Peter, J.U.; Bashammakh, S.; Hörtnagl, H.; Voits, M.; Fink, H.; Bader, M. Synthesis of serotonin by a second tryptophan hydroxylase isoform. Science 2003, 299, 76.

Copyright © 2022 Unigen® All Rights Reserved. This information is provided for scientific and educational purposes related to this ingredient. When marketing this ingredient in a finished product to end consumers, it is your responsibility to ensure that product claims and indications are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations including the Federal FD&C Act and the FTC Act.