By Dr. Qi Jia, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer, Unigen, Inc.
WHAT IS SYMETRIAN™?
Symetrian™ is a standardized, patent pending, Aloe-based composition for a healthy immune homeostasis. Symetrian™ is composed of plant extracts standardized for specific polysaccharides and polyphenols from three botanicals with a long history of safe human consumption for immune support: Aloe vera, Poria cocos mushroom and Rosemary.
OVERVIEW
Symetrian™ supplementation provides a fast acting, long term beneficial immune defense response and improved antioxidant function in conjunction with traditional vaccination, adopted by many as part of their overall immune health strategy.
WHAT MAKES SYMETRIAN™ UNIQUE?
Unigen screened thousands of medicinal plants in its proprietary PhytoLogix® library looking for natural substances that modulate immune function while keep proinflammatory cytokines under control. From hundreds of different types of polysaccharides originated from plants and mushrooms, Unigen selected Aloe polysaccharide called acetylated mannan, which consists of linear chains of β-1,4-linked mannose substituted with O-acetyl groups having molecular weights in a range of from 3 KDa to 2MDa; and a β-glucan from a Poria mushroom having β‐(1→3)‐linked glucose backbone and β‐(1→6)‐linked glucose side chains with a molecular weight range from 41 KDa to 5 MDa. Well-known antioxidant Rosmarinic acid, a water-soluble caffeoyl phenolic acid compound as one of the principal components in Rosemary, was added into polysaccharide composition for managing health balance of cytokines while immune defense is activated.
WHAT IS THE REASON TO COMBINE THREE COMPONENTS IN SYMETRIAN™?
Unigen used an in vivo sepsis model evaluating different polysaccharides, polyphenols and their combinations to select individuals and then synergistic combinations that can significantly increase sepsis survival rate from fatal dose of E. coli toxin LPS. The specific combinations of two different types of polysaccharides from Aloe and Poria mushroom with the polyphenol of Rosemary demonstrated the best protection with unexpected synergy. This combination also demonstrated lung protection from oxidative stress, microbial toxin and live microbial.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR SYMETRIAN™ TO SHOW IMMUNE BENEFIT?
In a recent publication in PLOS ONE, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over clinical trial involving supplementation with UP360 provides evidence for a rapid mobilization of immune cells, specifically those cells that are involved in the immediate (“innate”) immune protection. Highly significant changes in immune activation and surveillance activity were reported after single dosing Symetrian™ (UP360) starting at 1 hour, with downstream effects seen at 2 and 3 hours. These changes are rapid and transient, as the immune system returns to homeostasis. INSERT LINK to PRESS RELEASE
WHAT EXACT IMMUNE CELLS ARE ACTIVATED BY SYMETRIAN™?
In the PLoS One publication, Symetrian’s (UP360) statistically significant increased immune surveillance involved a transient effect for monocytes at 1 hour, followed by natural killer cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, and γδT cells at 2-3 hours. Increased immune cell alertness was seen at 1 hour by increased CD25 expression on monocytes, natural killer T cells, γδT cells. NKT cells showed upregulation of CD69 at 2 hours.
WHAT IS SYMETRIAN’S EFFECT ON CYTOKINES?
In the cross-over clinical trial, compared to the placebo, consumption of single dose of Symetrian™ triggered rapid increases in chemokine levels starting at 1 hour, including Interferon-gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) and Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1), which peaked at 2 hours and 3 hours, respectively. The stem cell-mobilizing growth factor G-CSF increased at 2 hours. Symetrian™ only activated above 3 chemokines for a rapid mobilization of immune cells, such as monocytes, NK cells and T cells without any changes of other proinflammatory cytokines.
WHAT IS SYMETRIAN’S EFFECT ON OXIDATIVE STRESS?
Consumption of single dose Symetrian™ was associated with improvements to the cellular antioxidant protection via 2 specific enzymes: Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and catalase. The consumption of Symetrian™ triggered significant increase in SOD at 2 hours and a highly significant increase in catalase activity at 2 hours. Those two endogenous antioxidation enzymes play an important role to maintain homeostasis of oxidative and inflammatory cellular defense system.
WHAT ARE THE IMMUNE BENEFITS OF LONG-TERM USAGE OF SYMETRIAN™?
Published in Frontiers in Nutrition, supplementation with Symetrian™ (UP360) for 56 days by healthy adult participants between 40-80 years of age, significantly increased the percentage of TCR gamma-delta cells, known to provide a first line of immune defense for mucosal membranes, in the post-vaccination period compared to placebo. Furthermore, participants supplemented with Symetrian™ (UP360) had significant increases in blood levels of glutathione peroxidase – antioxidative stress biomarker – and influenza B-specific IgG antibodies before and after vaccination, respectively.
SYMETRIAN™ COMPARED TO WELL-KNOWN POSTBIOTIC INGREDIENT
Peer-reviewed publication* https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2010.0174 reported a single dose consumption of a postbiotic ingredient caused transient immune surveillance of T and NK cell 2 hours post-consumption, activation of NK cell 1 and 2 hours post-consumption, a rapid increase in serum interferon-c was observed at 1 hour post-consumption, and significant increase in serum antioxidant protection was seen 2 hours after consumption.
Under same clinical trial design and dosage*, Symetrian™ showed quicker activation of immune surveillance after 1 hour for monocytes, more immune cells joined surveillance – NK cells, NK T cells, and cytotoxic T cells two hours after oral consumption. Symetrian also activated more immune cells – monocytes, NK T cells, and γδT cells; activated 3 chemokines – IP-10, MCP-1, and G-CSF as soon as 1 hours post-consumption; and increased endogenous antioxidative enzymes – SOD and catalase 2 hours post-consumption. The immune activation from Symetrian™ was faster, more significant, diversified and comprehensive.
CONCLUSION
Selectively promoting the cell types responsible for mucosal immune responses can play an important role to offer further support for the immune system in cold/flu season. This strategy can be applied across the entire spectrum of the healthy, vaccinated, general population, particularly the elderly.
Peer-reviewed publications of clinical studies are critical steps toward providing consumers with immune support products backed by rigorous science.
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0291254
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1116634/full
- https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2010.0174
Symetrian™ supplementation provides a research-based, fast acting, long term beneficial immune defense response and improved antioxidant function, further strengthening an overall immune health strategy.