-
Approximately 5,000 flavonoids and related
antioxidant polyphenols have been identified in plants. They have a wide range of
health benefits, including helping to promote healthy circulation and immune function.
They also appear to regulate gene expression.*
-
- Bors W. et
al., "Flavonoids and polyphenols: chemistry and
biology," in Handbook of Antioxidants. Cadenas E and Packer L, Des, New
York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1996:409-466.
Flavonoids and related polyphenols have diverse
roles in health aside from their function as antioxidants. They exhibit vasodilatory and
immune-stimulating effects.*
- Rice-Evans CA.et
al., "Structure-antioxidant activity
relationships of flavonoids and phenolic acids," Free Radical Biology
&Medicine, 1996:20:933-956.
Diets high in flavonoids helped maintain healthy
heart function.*
- Hertog M, et al., "Dietary
antioxidant flavonoids and risk of coronary heart
disease: the Zutphen study," Lancet,
1996;156:637-642.
- Keli SO, et al., "dietary flavonids,
antioxidant vitamins, and incidence of stroke: the Zutphen study," Archives of Internal
Medicine, 1996;156:637-642.
Pycnogenol is a powerful scavenger of superoxide
and hydroxyl radicals.* Its particularly resistant to
heat, which reduces the activity of many antioxidants.
- Noda Y.
et al., "Hydroxyl and superoxide anion radical
scavenging activities of natural source antioxidants using the computerized JES-FR30
ESR spectrometer system," Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
International, 1997;42:35-44.
Procyanidin Flavonoids derived from Pinus
maritima are efficient quenchers of hydroxyl and
single-oxygen free radicals, two of the most
dangerous species of radicals.*
Pycnogenol protected skin cells from
ultraviolet-induced lipid peroxidation and
cytotoxicity.* The protective effects were related
to dose, with the highest concentration providing
the greatest benefits.
- Guochang A,
"Ultraviolet radiation-induced oxidative stress
in cultured human skin fibroblasts and antioxidant protection," Biological
Research Reports from the University
of Jyvaskyla, 1993;33: 1-86
In a study comparing Pycnogenol and other
flavonoids, researchers found that Pycnogenol
protected the eyes of mammals against free radical
damage.*
Ueda T. et al., "preventive effect of
natural and synthetic antioxidants on lipid
peroxidation in the mammalian eye." Ophthalmic
Research, 1996; 28:184-192.
Pycnogenol protected rat brain cells in vitro
against the cell damaging effects of beta-amyloid
protein.* ß-amyloid protein is toxic to brain cells
and generally believed to play a major role in
Alzheimer’s disease.
Rohdewald P,
"Pycnogenol ," in Flavomoids in Health and
Disease, Rice-Evans CA and
Packer L, eds, New york: Marcel
Dekker, Inc., 1998: 405-419.
Pycnogenol scavenged superoxide free radicals and
significantly decreased chemically induced
inflammation in laboratory rats.*
- Blazso G, et
al., "Anti-inflammatory and superoxide
radical scavenging activities of procyanidins containing extract from the bark of
Pinus pinaster Sol. and its fraction," Pharm Pharmacol Letter, 1994;3: 217-220
Pycnigenol quenched nitric oxide, a free radical.
- Virgili F, et
al., "Procyanidins extracted from Pinus maritima
(Pycnogenol): scavengers of free radical species and modulators
of nitrogen monoxide metabolism in activated murine raw 267. 7
macrophages,"
Free Radical Biology &
Medicine, 1998;24 1120-1129.
- In cell-culture experiments, researchers found
that Pycnogenol Protected vitamin E from free
radical damage.
-
- Virgili F, et al., "Procyanidins
extracted from pine bark protect a-tocopherol in ECV 304 endothelial cells
challenged by activated RAW 264.7 macrophages: role of nitric acid and peroxynitrate,"
FEBS Letters,
1998;431:315-318.
- Using a new analytical technique, researchers
found that Pycnogenol extended the lifetime of vitamin C by four times over normal
values.
- Cossins E, et al., "ESR
studies of vitamin C regeneration. order of reactivity
of natural source Phytochemical preparations," Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology International, 1998; 45: 583-597.
-
Pycnogenol protects endothelial cells, which
line the heart and blood vessels, from free radical damage.*
- Rong Y, et al., "Pycnogenol protects
vascular endothelial cells from t-butyl hydroperoxide
induced oxidant injury." Biotechnology
Therapeutics, 1994-1995; 5:117-126
-
Pycnogenol prevents the breakdown of elastin,
a type of connective tissue, from free radical attack.* This action may partly explain why
Pycnogenol helps strengthen blood vessels and other tissues, such as the skin.*
-
- Tixier JM, et al., "Evidence by in vivo
and in vitro studies that binding of pycnogenol to
elastin affects its rate of degradation by elastases."
Biochemical Pharmacology, 1984; 33:3933-3939
Using cells from blood vessels, researchers
found that Pycnogenol enhanced
- vasodilation- that is, the normal ability of blood
vessels to relax.*
-
- Fitzpatrick DF, et al.,
"Endothelium-dependent vascular effects of
Pycnogenol, Journal Cardiovascular Pharmacology,
1008; 32:509-515
-
In laboratory experiments, Pycnogenol
reduced the release of free radicals by white blood
cells
-
-
- Nelson AB, et al., "Pycnogenol inhibits
macrophage oxidative burst, lipoprotein oxidation, and
hydroxyl radical-induced DNA damage," Drug
Development and Industrial Pharmacy, 1998;
24:139-144
Oral intake of 360 mg of Pycnogenol significantly
reduced edema in elderly women. In another study,
intake of Pycnogenol eased the feeling of geaviness
in 77.7 percent of subjects.*
- Rohdewald P, "Pycnogenol," in
Flavonoids in Health and Disease, Rice-Evans CA and
Packer L., eds New York, Marcel Dekker, Inc.,
1998: 405-419
-
In mice genetically bred to age prematurely,
Pycnogenol supplements slowed age-related declines
in immunity and blood-cell formation and restored
these functions to more youthful levels.*
- Liu FJ,
et al., "Pycnogenol enhances immune and
haemopoietec functions in senescence-accelerated mice," Cellular and
Molecular Life Sciences, 1998;54: 1168-1172.
-
In experiments with lung and liver cells,
Pycnogenol protected against changes induced by a compound found in tobacco smoke.*
- Huynh HT and Teel RW, "Effects
of Pycnogenol on the microsomal metabolism of the tobacco-specific nitrosamine NNK as a function of
age," Cancer Letters, 1998;132: 135-139.
Caffeic and ferulic acids were effective in
preventing free radical damage to low-density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.*
- Castelluccil C, et al., "Differential
distribution of ferulic acid to the major plasma
constituents in relation to its potential as an
antioxidant," Biochemical Journal, 1996;316:
691-694.
Caffeic acid spares vitamin E, allowing it to
prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol.*
- Laranjimha J, et al., "Two
related phenolic antioxidants with opposite effects on
citamin Econtent in low density lipoproteins oxidized by
ferrylmyogolbin: consumption vs regeneration," Archives
of Biochemistry & Biophysics, 1995;323:373-381.
Ferulic acid reduced free radical levels in sperm
and increased aperm motility and viability in both
fertile and infertile men.*
- Zheng R-L and Zhang H, "Effects
of ferulic acid on fertile and asthenozoospermic
infertile
human sperm motiliy, viability, lipid peroxidation
and cyclic nucleotides," Free Radical Biology & medicine, 1997;22: 581-586.
Caffeic acid and ferulic acid were found to
maintain healthy immune function.*
Shahrzad S and Bitsch I,
"Determination of some pharmacologically active
phenolic acids in juice by high-performance liquid
chromatography." Journal of Chromatography,
1996:223-231
In a study conducted at the National Cancer
Institute, cinnamic acid helped maintain healthy
cells.*
- Liu L, et al., "Cinnamic acid: a
natural with potential use in cancer
intervention." International Journal of Cancer, 1995;62:
345-350.
-
- Taxifolin protected mitochondria, the
energy-producing organelles of cells, from free radical damage without any effect on enzyme
activity.*
-
- Haraguchi H, et al., "Protection
against oxidative damage by dihydroflavonols in Engelhardtia chrysolepis" Bioscience,
Biotechnology & Biochemistry 1996; 60:945-948
-
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