Flavonoids Pycnogenol

Pycnogenols are a heterogeneous group of flavonoids from French maritime pine bark. The name pycnogenols is a term which was given for the designation of flavan-3-ol derivatives by Masquelier et al. [70]... 

Diseases of the heart and circulatory system, cardiovascular diseases, have long been the leading cause of mortality in Europe and North America, and total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are the two most important risk factors for coronary heart disease. Decreased arterial compliance of the arteries is thought to contribute to systolic hypertension and coronary artery insufficiency. A number of nutraceuticals have been used for long-term prevention or symptom reduction in cardiovascular diseases, notably soy products, tea flavonoids, octacosanol, n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and, to a lesser extent, melatonin, Pycnogenol, resveratrol, coenzyme QIO, lycopene, and DHEA. 

Even though the unique and very complex chemical composition of Pycnogenol has not been completely elucidated, its main constituents are known to be phenolic compounds, broadly divided into monomers (catechin, epicatechin, and taxifolin) and condensed flavonoids classified as procyanidins/proanthocyanidins. Pycnogenol also... 

The most obvious feature of Pycnogenol, owing to the basic chemical structure of its components, is its strong antioxidant activity. Phenolic acids, polyphenols, and in particular flavonoids are composed of one (or more) aromatic rings bearing one or more hydroxyl groups and are therefore potentially able to quench free radicals by forming resonance-stabilized phenoxyl radicals. " The ability to quench the reactivity of... 

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