TITLE:
Impact of Solarplast® on Oxidative Stress, Immune Function, and Skin Appearance in Active Smokers and Non-Smokers
AUTHORS:
Richard Bloomer, Jacquelyn Pence, Michelle Stockton, Allyson Signaigo
KEYWORDS:
Solarplast®, Oxidative Stress, Immune Function
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.17 No.8,
August
17,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: Dietary antioxidants are widely used to reduce oxidative stress and enhance immune system function. Smoking is a known generator of reactive oxygen species, leading to oxidative stress, which can adversely affect general health and skin health. Methods: We completed a randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial to investigate the effects of Solarplast®, an enzyme treated spinach supplement, on oxidative stress, immune function, and skin health, in a sample of male and female smokers and non-smokers. Fifty-nine participants were randomly assigned to 60-day daily ingestion of Solarplast® (100 mg) or placebo to determine the effects on white blood cell counts and distribution, protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, and ex vivo cytokine concentration (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-1β) with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Normalized cytokine levels were determined by dividing the LPS-stimulated levels by the non-stimulated levels. Skin health was assessed using a Pear 3D Plus Skin Analysis system and questionnaires determined subjects’ perceived health. Change scores from baseline were used for comparing treatments and results between smokers and non-smokers. Results: Solarplast® was well-tolerated, with no adverse events noted. Treatment did not result in a statistically significant reduction for oxidative stress markers of Advanced Oxidation Protein Products (AOPP) (13% reduction) or malondialdehyde (MDA) (15% reduction) from baseline in smokers. Treatment reduced normalized ex vivo TNF-α levels (58%) from baseline, but this finding did not reach statistical significance due to the high variability across subjects. Solarplast® significantly reduced ex vivo normalized IL-1β more than 30% at both day 30 (p = 0.008) and day 60 (p = 0.026) as compared to placebo, with a more pronounced effect in the non-smokers (43% and 46% reduction at day 30 and day 60, respectively) as compared to the smokers (31% and 25% reduction at day 30 and day 60, respectively). Values for measurements of skin appearance resulted in higher moisture levels at day 60 for the Solarplast® group compared to placebo, regardless of smoking status. Conclusion: This exploratory study suggests that Solarplast®, a novel spinach supplement appears safe and well-tolerated for human consumption and can reduce the normalized cytokine response ex vivo—specifically IL-1β. As there were improvements to other outcomes that did not reach statistical significance, further work involving at longer intervention time and varied dosing regimens is warranted to more fully realize the potential benefits of Solarplast® on health-specific parameters.