Phosphatidylserine is an important membrane phospholipid present in bacteria, yeast, plants, and mammalian cells. Phosphatidylserine is also called complex nervonic acid. The English name is Phosphatidylserine, referred to as PS, which is extracted from the residue of natural soybean oil extraction. It is an active substance in cell membranes, especially in brain cells. Its main function is to improve the function of nerve cells, regulate the conduction of nerve impulses, and enhance the memory function of the brain. Due to its strong lipophilicity, it can quickly enter the brain through the blood-brain barrier after absorption, soothe vascular smooth muscle cells and increase brain function. The role of blood supply.
Properties
Phosphatidylserine (PS) is also called serine phospholipid, diacylglycerol acylphosphate Serine, or PS for short, is a ubiquitous phospholipid that is usually located in the inner layer of cell membranes. Phosphoglyceryl esters among phosphoester compounds are one of the components of cell membranes and are related to a series of membrane functions. Especially in the human nervous system, it is one of the important components of the brain’s cell membrane. It also plays an important regulatory role in various functions of the brain (especially the brain’s memory and emotional stability). For example, it can affect the cell membrane. It has excellent fluidity and permeability, and can activate the metabolism and synthesis of various enzymes. For example, there are phosphatidylcholine (19%), sphingomyelin (8%), phosphatidylethanolamine (16%) and phosphatidylserine (10%) on the human red blood cell membrane. And only the latter has a net negative charge on the cell membrane, contributing to membrane asymmetry. It can also activate damaged surface prothrombin. And it can be converted into each other with phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine in the body. Because R1 and R2 are different, phosphatidylserine actually becomes a general name for a class of compounds.
It was first extracted and characterized by Jordi Folch in 1942. PS consists of three parts: a hydrophilic glycerol skeleton as the head, and two lipophilic groups with longer hydrocarbon chains as the tail. The head consists of three groups: the serine residue combines with the phosphate residue and is connected to the hydroxyl group of glycerol at C-3 position; the other two hydroxyl groups of glycerol form esters with fatty acids to form the tail. Compared with fatty acids at the C-1 position of glycerol, fatty acids at the C-2 position generally have longer carbon chains and more unsaturated bonds. Phosphatidylserine (PS) refers to a group of compounds rather than a single component. This is because the lipid acetyl residues of products extracted from raw materials from different sources vary greatly. PS is amphipathic, that is, it is both hydrophilic and lipophilic. Its structure determines its unique properties. The negatively charged head is hydrophilic (or water-soluble), and the tail composed of fatty acids is lipophilic (or fat-soluble).
Phosphatidylserine (PS) can be synthesized by the human body using serine. It can affect the transmission of chemical messages in the brain and help brain cells store and read data. It is important for maintaining normal brain memory, reactions and healthy emotions. of important nutrients.
Main functions
Phosphatidylserine (PS) is known as a new “smart nutrient” after choline and “brain gold” DHA. Experts believe that this natural substance can help cell walls remain flexible and can enhance the efficiency of neurotransmitters that transmit brain signals, help the brain operate efficiently, and stimulate the brain’s activation state. Specifically, phosphatidylserine has the following functions.
(1) Improve brain function, concentrate, and improve memory.
A large number of meta-analyses on phosphatidylserine eva resin acid have emerged in Europe and the United States (meta-analysis refers to the systematic quantitative or qualitative synthesis of multiple independent research results on a certain issue). The main The purpose is to comprehensively reflect previous research results more objectively. An analysis of 9 double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials involving a total of 1,224 patients showed that parameters related to cognition and memory were significantly improved after phosphatidylserine supplementation. There is no doubt that phosphatidylserine supplementation can improve long-term memory, long-term cognition, and the ability to speak freely and logically.
As we age, phosphatidylserine and other important brain chemicals will gradually decrease, leading to weakened memory and cognitive abilities. Supplementing phosphatidylserine can increase the number of brain spines, the fluidity of brain cell membranes and promote glucose metabolism in brain cells, thereby making brain cells more active, promoting concentration, and improving alertness and memory. Phosphatidylserine supplements are widely used in Italy, Scandinavia and other European countries to treat aging-related dementia and memory loss in the elderly.
(2) Improve student performance.
Some people have specifically tested the effect of phosphatidylserine in relieving mental stress. The test was double-blind and placebo-controlled. Healthy college students were given 300 mg of phosphatidylserine every day for 30 consecutive days. College students had to complete a difficult math test within a given time period and their reactions to the pressure were recorded.
It was found that students who took phosphatidylserine were better than the control group in terms of responsiveness, confidence and performance, and they also scored better in exams. A study on 120 third-grade students of Chongqing Bashu Middle School with solid saturated polyester resin also found that students who took fortified phosphatidylserine had significantly improved verbal and non-verbal memory after 40 days.
(3) Relieve stress, promote recovery from brain fatigue, and balance emotions.
Many studies have shown that phosphatidylserine�Significantly reduces the levels of excessive stress hormones in people who are stressed at work, reduces stress, and relieves brain fatigue; phosphatidylserine can also act on the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain that affect mood, promoting concentration and alertness. and memory, helping to relieve negative emotions (such as depression, depression, etc.).
(4) Help repair brain damage.
Phosphatidylserine is one of the main components of brain nerves. It can nourish and activate the activity of various enzymes in the brain, delay the reduction process of neurotransmitters, and help repair and renew damaged brains. cells and remove harmful substances. It can restore the memory of the elderly to the level of 14 years ago. Research shows that after consuming phosphatidylserine for 12 weeks, a 66-year-old person has the memory of a 52-year-old person.
In addition, phosphatidylserine and DHA can promote the absorption of each other and play a protective role in nerve cells. Rich phosphatidylserine can increase the fluidity of cell membranes and promote the development of intelligence. Phosphatidylserine and DHA together can protect the central nervous system and promote fetal intellectual development.
Research shows that the main reason why phosphatidylserine can enhance human intelligence is that it can quickly cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain. In the brain, it soothes the smooth muscle cells of brain capillaries and increases blood supply to the brain. Therefore, in recent years, many products targeting stroke use PS as raw materials.
Ingestion routes
Phosphatidylserine is a naturally occurring component in food and is also found in breast milk. Meat and fish contain phosphatidylserine, and the content is higher in the brain or internal organs (such as liver and kidney). The content of phosphatidylserine in dairy products and vegetables (except beans) is very small.
Changes in modern people’s eating habits (such as no longer eating offal), increased awareness of eating healthy foods (such as eating low-fat, low-cholesterol foods and avoiding large amounts of meat), and food crises (such as Mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease) have caused people to consume less and less phosphatidylserine. What’s more serious is that the natural phospholipid content in lipids and oil products produced by modern industrialization has decreased, further reducing the amount of phosphatidylserine that normal people should consume every day. Generally speaking, if the diet contains more meat and fish, the daily intake of phosphatidylserine will be about 180 mg/day; if the food is low in fat, the daily intake of phosphatidylserine will be only 100 mg. Even less than 50 mg. According to statistics, the gap between the daily intake of phosphatidylserine and the normal requirement of normal people is between 70-150 mg. Vegetarians are particularly deficient, with the gap reaching 200-250 mg. In view of the above reasons, normal people need to supplement 100-300 mg of pure phosphatidylserine daily. This is even more important for vegetarians, people on low-fat or low-cholesterol diets, and the elderly. In addition, some other dietary habits can reduce the amount of phosphatidylserine in the brain. For example, a lack of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet reduces the amount of phosphatidylserine in the brain by 28%, altering the biochemical function of the brain’s hippocampus.
