PCE-PRO™ | Purple Corn Extract

Close-up of deep purple corn on the cob growing in a green field.

Product Overview

Sourced from a purpose-bred, officially registered Korean corn variety, PCE-PRO™ delivers clinically studied support for prostate health and eye health, with a complete nonclinical safety program behind it.

PCE-PRO™ is Sunbio Corporation's flagship ingredient—a standardized purple corn extract delivering clinically validated benefits for both prostate health and eye health. With the highest anthocyanin density of any domestic botanical, PCE-PRO represents a new generation of evidence-based nutraceutical ingredients.

PCE-PRO is derived from the husks and cobs of Zea mays L.—a non-GMO purple corn variety locally bred and cultivated in Korea's Gangwon Province. Its deep purple pigmentation reflects an exceptional concentration of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), the primary anthocyanin responsible for its biological activity.

Manufactured at a KGMP-certified, US FDA-registered facility, PCE-PRO is standardized to a guaranteed minimum of ≥12 mg/g C3G (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside)—the primary active anthocyanin responsible for PCE-PRO's biological activity—alongside ≥13% total anthocyanins (w/w) per batch. Korean functional food approval for eye health was received in May 2026.

Prostate Health

PCE-PRO is clinically studied for men's prostate health, with a completed randomized, placebo-controlled human clinical trial demonstrating statistically significant improvements across five key endpoints — including urinary symptom scores, quality of life, bladder emptying, and testosterone maintenance — all without the sexual side effects associated with pharmaceutical alternatives.

Eye Health

PCE-PRO is also clinically studied for dry eye relief, with human RCT data showing statistically significant improvements in the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), tear film stability (TBUT), and corneal surface protection. Preclinical data further supports applications in eye strain relief and macular protection, making PCE-PRO uniquely positioned across three ocular health indications.

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Black corn ears and kernels with dark husks.

Graph and data showing anthocyanin content in various foods, highlighting purple carrot and PCE.

Why PCE-PRO Stands Apart

Most eye health and prostate health ingredients target a single mechanism. PCE-PRO works across multiple pathways simultaneously—making it uniquely effective and differentiated in both categories.

C3G Density — PCE-PRO is standardized to ≥12 mg/g of C3G (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside), the primary active anthocyanin driving its clinical effects. Purple Corn Extracts from husks and cobs as a botanical category have been measured as high as 18,500 mg/kg total anthocyanins—reflecting the exceptional potential of this plant family, well above common sources such as bilberry (~365 mg/kg), elderberry (~300 mg/kg), and blueberry (~150 mg/kg).

Standardization — Every batch is optimized for cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G)—the primary bioactive anthocyanin—ensuring consistent, verified therapeutic potency from batch to batch.

Superior Sourcing — PCE-PRO is extracted from the cob and husk of purple corn, which contain over 10 times more anthocyanins than the kernels used in standard corn-based products. This is not a commodity corn extract. It is a purpose-bred, registered proprietary variety cultivated specifically for maximum anthocyanin yield.

Dual Indication / One Ingredient — PCE-PRO is the only botanical ingredient with completed human clinical trial data supporting both prostate health and eye health indications — allowing formulators to address two large and growing markets with a single, well-characterized ingredient.

Supply Chain Ready — Manufactured at a KGMP-certified, US FDA-registered facility in South Korea. Standardized CoA per batch. Korean functional food approval received in May 2026. Available exclusively in the US through Sunbio Corporation.

Human Clinical Study Results — Prostate Health

In a randomized, placebo-controlled 12-week trial (500 mg/day, n=69 men with BPH symptoms), PCE-PRO demonstrated statistically significant improvement over placebo in:

Serum testosterone — maintained, vs. a decline in the placebo group
Post-void residual urine — improved bladder emptying
IIEF question 8 — a specific measure of erectile function

Broader measures—including total urinary symptom score (IPSS), quality of life, overactive bladder symptoms, and total IIEF sexual function score—improved numerically in the PCE-PRO group but did not reach statistical significance between groups in this trial. T-PSA (a prostate safety marker) remained stable, showing no adverse signal.

Clinical Efficacy of PCE-PRO for Ocular Health

In a randomized, placebo-controlled 12-week trial (500 mg/day), PCE-PRO demonstrated statistically significant improvement over placebo in OSDI, TBUT, and Corneal Fluorescein Staining.

Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) — PCE demonstrated a statistically superior reduction in overall dry eye symptom burden compared to the placebo group. OSDI is the gold-standard measure of how much dry eye disease limits daily activities such as reading, screen use, and driving. p = 0.007

Tear Break-Up Time (TBUT) — PCE significantly improved tear film stability — a core objective marker of tear film health. Longer TBUT means the tear film stays intact longer between blinks, reducing dryness and ocular surface exposure. p = 0.049

Corneal Surface Protection — PCE significantly reduced corneal fluorescein staining — an objective, clinician-measured indicator of physical damage to the corneal surface. Less staining confirms PCE is actively protecting corneal tissue, not only relieving subjective symptoms. p = 0.037

All p-values reflect between-group comparisons (PCE vs. placebo) — the rigorous standard for RCT efficacy.

Two additional measures — Visual Analog Scale (subjective discomfort) and Schirmer's test (tear volume) — showed a favorable trend but did not reach statistical significance in this trial.

Preclinical Evidence

In vivo dry eye rat model (oral PCE 150 mg/kg vs. omega-3 comparator, 7 days):

Tear volume restored to near-normal levels (p<0.0001)
Corneal irregularity score reduced from 3.5 to ~1.3 (p<0.0001)
Goblet cell density restored dose-dependently (p<0.0001)
Apoptotic cells reduced to near-normal (p<0.0001)

Additional animal models support eye strain (retinal blood flow, cGMP) and dry AMD (outer nuclear layer preservation, ERG amplitudes).

Published Studies