Pycnogenol antioxidant capacity

Recently, some reports have led to the hypothesis that Pycnogenol could be beneficial in not only mitigating the adverse effects of anticancer chemotherapy," but possibly also inhibiting the development, growth, and progression of cancer. This activity is associated not only with the strong antioxidant capacity of the polyphenols contained in Pycnogenol, but also with its ability to modulate cell response to different stimuli. 

This chapter discusses the antioxidant capacity of Pycnogenol and reviews some of the recent advances and hypotheses regarding its ability to significantly affect cell signaling and cell response in carcinogenesis. 

More recently, it has been shown that supplementation with Pycnogenol in human subjects is associated with a significant increase of total plasma antioxidant capacity. This observation confirms that the antioxidant capacity of the mixture is bioavailable, indirectly supporting the bioavailability of Pycnogenol components. 

Various studies have addressed the antioxidant capacity of Pycnogenol in simplified assay systems in vitro, cultured cell models, perfused organs, and in vivo. Blazso and coworkers tested the in vitro scavenging activity of Pycnogenol as well as three... 

The use of Pycnogenol as a dietary supplement may help to reduce the risk of cancer. There is ample clinical and experimental evidence indicating that Pycnogenol s strong and bioavailable antioxidant capacity places it at the top rank of biological substances to be considered beneficial for human redox balance. 

Antioxidant and disease prevention capacities of proanthocyanidins from cocoa, grape seed, cranberries, and Pycnogenols (French pine... 

As an effective bona fide antioxidant in both plasma and intracellular membrane, Pycnogenol can significantly contribute to the maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis, in particular in the course of events that are likely to overwhelm the capacity to cope with an increased production of RONS, such as in chronic inflammations, thereby reducing Ae possibility of cellular damage at different targets. The ability of Pycnogenol to act as a lipid peroxidation chain breaker is also likely to reduce the toxic consequences of a free-radical-induced cellular stress. 

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