Oligomeric proanthocyanidins
OPC synonyms: procyanidins, oligo-procyanidines or oligo-proanthocyanidins (OPC).
There are currently two main sources of oligo-proanthocyanidins on the market. Experts agree that they have the same properties, but both substances have been tested in different clinical trials. See the detailed factsheets on red vine (grape seed extract) and pycnogenol (maritime pine extract)
Description
Oligo-proanthocyanidins (OPCs) are a family of flavonoid compounds found in many plants. It is primarily for their antioxidant properties that we are interested. It is estimated that their antioxidant activity is 20 to 50 times greater than that of vitamins C and E. As its name suggests, an antioxidant has the effect of inhibiting the oxidation of various physiological substances, which is origin of many diseases. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals responsible for the damage caused by oxidation in the body, making them harmless and allowing the body to eliminate them easily.
Since vitamin C is water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamin E, their antioxidant activity is mainly in an aqueous medium for vitamin C or lipid for vitamin E, while OPC are active in both.
OPCs have a particular affinity for collagen, the protein that forms most of the connective tissues of the body, including skin, tendons, ligaments and cartilage, and the inner lining of blood vessels. OPCs bind to collagen and help maintain the integrity of the connective tissue structure. This is explained by their antioxidant activity, but also because OPC inhibit the synthesis of certain substances that trigger allergic and inflammatory reactions.
Since OPCs are not considered essential nutrients, no recommended dietary intake for these substances has been established. However, they play an important role in maintaining good health.
Historical
When Jacques Cartier's ship was stuck for many weeks in the ice of the St. Lawrence in 1534, the crew, a victim of scurvy, was treated by the Amerindians with infusions of needles and pine bark. More than 400 years later, Jacques Masquelier, from the University of Bordeaux, went to Quebec, more precisely to Laval University, to discover what, in the pine, could have saved French sailors. Thus he identified a class of flavonoid compounds that he named pycnogenols.
This name was later changed to "proanthocyanidins" or "oligo-proanthocyanidines" (OPC), after the United States authorities granted a Swiss company, which manufactured maritime pine bark extract, a patent for exclusivity for the use of the word Pycnogenol ® .
Professor Masquelier, who patented the OPC extraction method of pine bark in 1951, later became interested in grape seeds, in which he discovered compounds of the same kind. As the wine industry in the Bordeaux region is an important source of raw material for the production of OPC-rich extracts, grape seeds were the subject of intensive research on CPOs in the 1970s.
Research
Currently commercially available OPC products come almost exclusively from pine bark or grape seed extract. However, researchers from around the world are currently working on a host of other OPC-rich plants that, while not identical to the first, possess a common biochemical structure that gives them comparable virtues.
This name was later changed to "proanthocyanidins" or "oligo-proanthocyanidines" (OPC), after the United States authorities granted a Swiss company, which manufactured maritime pine bark extract, a patent for exclusivity for the use of the word Pycnogenol ® .
Professor Masquelier, who patented the OPC extraction method of pine bark in 1951, later became interested in grape seeds, in which he discovered compounds of the same kind. As the wine industry in the Bordeaux region is an important source of raw material for the production of OPC-rich extracts, grape seeds were the subject of intensive research on OPCs in the 1970s.
Research
Currently commercially available OPC products come almost exclusively from pine bark or grape seed extract. However, researchers from around the world are currently working on a host of other OPC-rich plants that, while not identical to the first, possess a common biochemical structure that gives them comparable virtues.
Thus, we are interested in the OPC contained in cocoa, tea and hawthorn for their protective action on the cardiovascular system, as well as those of the elm bark, for its usefulness in periodontia. The antioxidant properties of OPCs in red rice, soybean bean, blueberry, cranberry and raspberry.
Grape seed extract: what is it?
Grape seed extract is very rich in antioxidants and oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPC). Grape seed extract (Vitis vinifera) is a natural substance available as a dietary supplement in liquid or solid form in capsules and tablets. It usually comes from grape seed provided by wine makers. Since ancient Greece, the different parts of the grapes are used for medicinal purposes As a general rule, commercially available grape seed extract supplements contain between 50 to 100 mg of extract. The extract has a wide range of therapeutic properties such as for wound healing, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, macular degeneration, poor circulation, nerve damage,
The therapeutic virtues of grape seed extract
Although most health claims are not supported by serious clinical studies, evidence is emerging to confirm the health benefits of Grape Seed Extract . According to a recent study, grape seed extract offers superior antioxidant efficacy compared to vitamins C, E and β-carotene. Preliminary research suggests that grape seed is promising in the prevention and treatment of many pathologies. Animal studies have shown that grape seed extract can be effective in the treatment of heart disease. Some experts believe that grape seed extract may even have anticancer potential.
Cardiovascular Diseases and Grape Seed Extract
The metabolic syndrome that is characterized by a set of health problems such as excess fat, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, insulin resistance and inflammation are known to increase the risk of heart disease and In a 2009 study of 32 high-risk cardiovascular patients with type 2 diabetes, participants were supplemented with grape seed extract at doses of 600 mg daily for four weeks. . The results of the study showed that grape seed extract significantly improved the biological markers of inflammation and blood sugar. The authors of the study suggest that grape seed extract may have a therapeutic role in reducing cardiovascular risk. In another study of subjects with a metabolic syndrome, researchers found that, after four weeks of treatment with grape seed extract, there was a reduction in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure.
Two other benefits for cardiovascular disease were highlighted by studying the antioxidants found in grape seed extract, they would protect blood vessels and prevent high blood pressure.
Healing and Grape Seed Extract
A study, published in an American scientific journal, provided solid evidence to support the idea that skin application of grape seed extract represented a realistic approach to promote the healing of skin wounds.
Bone formation
Grape seed extract combined with a calcium-containing diet would have a beneficial effect on bone formation and bone strength for the treatment of bone weakness caused by low calcium levels, according to a study published in another American scientific journal.
Cancer
Following laboratory studies, scientists have shown that grape seed extract can help fight free radicals, chemicals known to cause DNA damage associated with cancer. However, it is still unclear whether a grape seed extract can actually reduce the risk of cancer in men. An American study also found that grape seed had properties that could lessen the severity of skin cancer. The researchers concluded that grape seed extract could be helpful in mitigating the health effects of harmful UV rays on the skin.
Memory
One study identified a crucial role for grape seed extract as a neuroprotector in the hippocampus and in the prevention of cognitive loss with age. Grape seed extract may help delay the development of Alzheimer's disease, according to an animal study published in 2009. In tests on mice, scientists discovered that grape seed extract facilitated the development of Alzheimer's disease. inflammation and prevented the accumulation of substances known to form brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Grape seed and pine bark
Antioxidants have the property of neutralizing free radicals. Some do it better than others.
For Dr. Julian Whitaker, MD, proanthocyanidins, extracts of razor seed and maritime pine, are the most effective antioxidants.
What do Grape Seeds and Pine Bark have in common for them to be in a single supplement?
Both products contain valuable substances: proanthocyanidins. These are exceptional antioxidant substances.
What makes proanthocyanidins so good antioxidants?
Antioxidants have the property of neutralizing free radicals. Some do it better than others. For Dr. Julian Whitaker, MD, proanthocyanidins are the most effective antioxidants.
Do Proanthocyanidins in Grape Seed have the same value as those in Pine Bark?
These are the same substances. These two sources have the same value. It must be said that there are many other sources of proanthocyanidins. Grape Seeds and Pine Bark are among the most concentrated sources.
Compared to other antioxidants, how do we evaluate the antioxidant action of proanthocyanidins?
It is estimated that they have an antioxidant action twenty times greater than vitamin C and fifty times greater than vitamin E.
What kinds of free radicals do proanthocyanidins protect?
Proanthocyanidins protect against a large number of free radicals, especially those resulting from pollution, tobacco smoke, certain food additives, alcohol, several toxic drugs, etc. It is therefore valuable antioxidants.
What problems can be prevented or corrected by proanthocyanidin supplementation?
- Such supplementation can have many effects.
- It prevents tissue damage, clots formation in the blood and lymphatic vessels,
- Protects metabolic enzymes,
- Protects brain tissue,
- Limits the damage caused by synthetic drugs,
- Helps to regulate the genes responsible for tissue division.
- As can be seen, any effective fight against free radicals provides a fundamental protection for all tissues of the body.
How many of these antioxidants should be taken each day to enjoy good protection against free radicals?
Any good proanthocyanidin supplement must be standardized in these valuable substances. Grape Seed and Pine Bark Extract must be standardized to at least 90%. This high concentration should bring about fifty milligrams of proanthocyanidins per capsule. It is recommended to take two or three of these capsules a day to get good protection against free radicals and prevent premature aging, as well as many health problems
Grape Seed Extract Effective In Treating Aggressive Colorectal Cancer
Research has already shown that bioactive compounds in grape seed extract can selectively target many types of cancer cells to destroy them. But US researchers at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy have found that these grape seed-specific compounds have the ability to attack metastatic cells of colon cancer.
This discovery opens interesting therapeutic avenues, especially when we know that 60% of diagnosed patients have already reached the advanced stage of the disease.
The group performed their experiments on colorectal cancer cell lines representing different stages of the disease. While it usually takes large doses of chemotherapy to kill a stage IV cancer cell, the researchers found that these cells remained highly vulnerable to the components contained in grape seeds, even when administered in small amounts.
The researchers have also discovered a specific targeting mechanism for these cells that allows these components, through the oxidative stress pathway, to induce apoptosis, that is, programmed cell death, of these tumor cells.
According to this work, a colorectal cancer cell can be affected by more than 11,000 genetic mutations. Because of this great genetic variability, these cells often end up becoming resistant to traditional chemotherapy. On the other hand, the bioactive compounds of grape seeds seem able to target multiple genetic mutations and to preserve their therapeutic effectiveness.
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