I just opened this week's [November 6, 2006] issue of Newsweek and there on page 70 is a small piece on an over the counter pine bark antioxidant (thank you Vicc) that has some 36 double blind placebo controlled studies behind it, showing that it not only lowers LDL levels and reduces hypertension, but that in the treatment of diabetic patients, it improved capillary blood flow by 34%.

I just did a Pubmed search and came back with a veritable cornacopia of stuff. Here are just three of examples:

1. Rapid Relief of Signs/Symptoms in Chronic Venous Microangiopathy With Pycnogenol(R): A Prospective, Controlled Study, Angiology. 2006 October-November; 57(5):569-576.

Cesarone MR, Belcaro G, Rohdewald P, Pellegrini L, Ledda A, Vinciguerra G, Ricci A, Gizzi G, Ippolito E, Fano F, Dugall M, Acerbi G, Cacchio M, Di Renzo A, Hosoi M, Stuard S, Corsi M.

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of oral Pycnogenol(R) (Horphag Research Ltd, UK) in patients with severe chronic venous insufficiency. Patients with severe venous hypertension (chronic venous insufficiency, ankle swelling) and history of venous ulcerations were treated with Pycnogenol. Patients received oral Pycnogenol (50 mg capsules, 3 times daily for a total of 150 mg daily) for 8 weeks. A group of 21 patients was included in the treatment group and 18 equivalent patients were observed as controls (no treatment during the observation period). All 21 patients (age 53 years; range, 42-60 years; M:F=11:10) in the treatment group completed the 8-week study. Also the 18 controls completed the follow-up period. There were no drop-outs. The average ambulatory venous pressure was 59.3 (SD 7.2; range 50-68) with a refilling time shorter than 10 seconds (average 7.6; SD 3). There were no differences in ambulatory venous pressure or refilling time between the treatment and control patients. The duration of the disease-from the first signs/symptoms-was on average 5.7 years (SD 2.1). At 4 and 8 weeks, in all Pycnogenol-treated subjects, microcirculatory and clinical evaluations indicated a progressive decrease in skin flux, indicating an improvement in the level of microangiopathy; a significant decrease in capillary filtration; a significant improvement in the symptomatic score; and a reduction in edema. There were no visible effects in controls. In conclusion, this study confirms the fast clinical efficacy of Pycnogenol in patients with chronic venous insufficiency and venous microangiopathy. The study indicates the significant clinical role of Pycnogenol in the management, treatment and control of this common clinical problem. The treatment may be also useful to prevent ulcerations by controlling the level of venous microangiopathy.

2. Cramps and muscular pain: prevention with pycnogenol in normal subjects, venous patients, athletes, claudicants and in diabetic microangiopathy, Angiology. 2006 May-Jun;57(3):331-9.

Vinciguerra G, Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, Rohdewald P, Stuard S, Ricci A, Di Renzo A, Hosoi M, Dugall M, Ledda A, Cacchio M, Acerbi G, Fano F.

The aim of this study was to assess the preventive action of Pycnogenol (Horphag Research Ltd, UK) on cramps and muscular pain in different groups of subjects and patients. The study included a 5-week observation period (4 weeks treatment and one follow-up week after the suspension of treatment) to evaluate the efficacy of Pycnogenol after its withdrawal. Four 50 mg capsules (total dose 200 mg/day) were prescribed with suggestion to drink at least 1.5 liters of water every day. In the first part of the study 66 healthy subjects completed a 5-week follow-up period. The difference between number of cramps attacks recorded within the 2 weeks before inclusion and the number of episodes during the fourth (p <0.05) and fifth (p <0.05) week were statistically significant. In normal subjects the average number of episodes was reduced from 4.8 (1.2) events per week to 1.3 (1.1) at 4 weeks (p <0.05). In venous patients the decrease in events was from 6.3 (1.1) to 2.6 (0.4) per week (p <0.05). In athletes the number of episodes decreased from 8.6 (2) to 2.4 (0.5) (p <0.05). The decrease was still present at 5 weeks in the 3 groups, to levels significantly lower than inclusion values (p <0.05). In the second part of the study, patients with intermittent claudication and diabetic microangiopathy were evaluated and treated (4 weeks). The groups treated with Pycnogenol and the control, placebo groups were comparable. There was a significant decrease in the number of cramps episodes (p <0.05) and in the score concerning muscular pain (p <0.05) in claudicants and diabetics. No significant effects were observed in the placebo groups. In conclusion, cramps and muscular pain, common in these 2 types of patients, were decreased by the use of Pycnogenol. Globally, these results suggest that the use of Pycnogenol prevents cramps, muscular pain at rest, and pain after/during exercise in normals, in athletes prone to cramps, in patients with venous disease, in claudicants, and in diabetics with microangiopathy. The difference is statistically significant considering objective observations (cramps episodes) and evaluating more subjective aspects (score). This indicates that Pycnogenol is effective in reducing pain and cramps during retraining and rehabilitation increasing its efficiency. In starting any physical rehabilitation program, particularly in vascular subjects, the limitation in mobility associated with muscular pain and with cramps tends to be relevant, and controlling these symptoms is useful to speed up the retraining process.


3. Inhibition of NF-kappaB activation and MMP-9 secretion by plasma of human volunteers after ingestion of maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol). J Inflamm (Lond). 2006 Jan 27;3:1.

Grimm T, Chovanova Z, Muchova J, Sumegova K, Liptakova A, Durackova Z, Hogger P.

French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol) displays a variety of anti-inflammatory effects in vivo. Aim of this study was to determine whether human plasma after oral intake of Pycnogenol contains sufficient concentrations of active principles to inhibit key mediators of inflammation. Blood samples from seven healthy volunteers were obtained before and after five days administration of 200 mg Pycnogenol per day. Plasma samples statistically significantly inhibited matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) release from human monocytes and NF-kappaB activation. Thus, we provide evidence that bioavailable active principles of Pycnogenol exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibition of proinflammatory gene expression which is consistent with documented clinical observations. We suggest that our ex vivo method is suitable to substantiate molecular pharmacological mechanisms of complex plant extracts in a more focussed and rational way compared to in vitro studies by taking into account the processes of absorption and metabolism.

Has anyone out there tried this stuff in an RSD/CRPS context?

Mike

I thought the name looked familiar - also as grape seed extract.


http://www.anyvitamins.com/grape-seed-extract-info.htm

[Some expensive supplements, derived from pine bark, contain 85% proanthocyanidin while grapeseed extract contains 95% proanthocyanidin.]

we have taken grape seed extract for RSI & other general health.

Go to the head of the class:

"A comparison of the hydroxyl radical scavenging properties of the shark bile steroid 5 beta-scymnol and plant pycnogenols," Biochem Mol Biol Int. 1997 Sep; 42(6):1249-60.

Macrides TA, Shihata A, Kalafatis N, Wright PF.

The hydroxyl radical (OH.) quenching abilities of the following compounds were compared in the deoxyribose degradation system (initiated by the ferrous-ascorbate Fenton reaction): (a) 5 beta-scymnol, the hepatoprotective shark bile sterol, and its mono- and di-sulfate esters; (b) three marketed pycnogenol preparations (syn: proanthocyanidin--natural plant-derived polyphenolic bioflavonoids) extracted from pine tree (Pinus maritima) bark and grape (Vitis vinifera) seeds; and (c) two known hydroxyl radical scavengers, dimethyl sulfoxide and mannitol, and the peroxyl radical scavenger Trolox (the alpha-tocopherol analogue). 5 beta-scymnol was a more potent OH. quencher than dimethyl sulfoxide, mannitol and Trolox, and markedly more potent than the pycnogenol preparations. Increased sulfation of 5 beta-scymnol progressively reduced its free radical scavenging activity, thus clearly attributing the potent OH. quenching properties to its novel tri-alcohol-substituted aliphatic side chain. The favourable interaction of these bile steroids with reactive oxygen species in an aqueous environment, makes them attractive candidates for evaluation as protective agents against disorders in which oxidative stress is implicated.

Mike

p.s. What surprises me is that a Pubmed search shows no further hits for "5 beta-scymnol." Not that the commercial exploitation of shark bile would have been a good thing in it's own right.