Ulva lactuca a natural occurring source of minerals to promote bone health and sustain athlete performance

The purpose of this study was to identify if the components extracted from Ulva lactuca might have some positive effect in maintaining and improve osteoblast function. The fresh Ulva was lyophilized, and the extract was characterized before testing. The osteoblasts were cultured in standard conditions and the lyophilized extract was tested at 1mg/ml for up to 48 hrs. s markers of osteoblast function and proliferation BMP-6, RUNX-2 and Osteocalcin were analyzed on the mRNA extracted from the osteoblast. The results showed a significant increase, especially after 48 hrs in the production of osteocalcin mRNA which suggest a role for this extract in maintaining bone health. Although preliminary these data indicate that the extract from Ulva can be used as supplements for human use especially in those conditions where minerals and antioxidants are more needed.