A randomized double-blind trial to measure the absorption characteristics of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid rich oil blend with natural lipid-based delivery system

A randomized, double-blinded trial with 65 subjects was conducted to compare the pharmacokinetics between PhytoMarineCelle (PM) that consists of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA + DHA) plus a self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS), and a standard EPA + DHA ethyl ester (SEE) that does not contain SEDDS. PM showed 1.6-fold greater plasma area under the curve (AUC) than SEE at 300 mg, although no significant difference was observed. PM showed a 3.1 and 3.2-fold (p < 0.05) greater plasma AUC than SEE at 500 mg and 1000 mg respectively. The concentration max (Cmax) of EPA + DHA did not change between PM and SEE at 300 mg. Cmax of PM was twofold greater than SEE at 500 mg and 1000 mg respectively. The Cmax of EPA + DHA achieved significant difference (p < 0.05) only with the 500 mg dose. The PM formulation increased the bioavailability of EPA + DHA by threefold compared to SEE at 500 and 1000 mg.