BACKGROUND Dietary flavonoids may improve endothelial function and ultimately lead to beneficial cardiovascular effects. OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess whether pure dietary flavonoids can modulate nitric oxide and endothelin-1 production and thereby improve endothelial function. DESIGN A randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial in 12 healthy men was conducted to compare the ac...

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) noodles are a traditional food in Japan and contains catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, rutin and an oligomer of catechin and epicatechin. Catechin, epicatechin, quercetin and rutin have flavonoid structures, and their antioxidant action and neuroprotection have been widely studied. Buckwheat extract (BWE) has been also reported to have antioxidant activit...

BACKGROUND Long term cocoa ingestion leads to an increased resistance against UV-induced erythema and a lowered transepidermal water loss. AIM OF THE STUDY To investigate the acute effects of a single dose of cocoa rich in flavanols on dermal microcirculation. METHODS In a crossover design study, 10 healthy women ingested a cocoa drink (100 ml) with high (329 mg) or low (27 mg) content of f...

The antioxidant capacity of polyphenols (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin and myricetin, and of different types of red wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and blended wine) was evaluated by three assays. (a) NADH oxidation by peroxynitrite (ONOO-): the ONOO- scavenging activity was higher for myricetin (IC50=35 microM) than for (+)-catechin (IC50=275 microM) and (-)-epicatechin (IC50=313 microM). (b)...

The antioxidant properties of Choto-san and its related constituents such as Chotoko and Choto-san without Chotoko, and phenolic compounds contained in Chotoko such as epicatechin, caffeic, acid and quercetin were evaluated. In the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay, the scavenging activity of Chotoko (IC(50) 14.3 microg/ml) was found to be higher than that of Choto-s...

BACKGROUND Chiranthodendron pentadactylon Larreat. (Sterculiaceae) is a Mexican plant used in traditional medicine for the treatment of heart disease symptoms and infectious diarrhea. OBJECTIVE To evaluate in vitro antiprotozoal and antibacterial activities and in vivo antidiarrheal activity from the flowers of C. pentadactylon using the extract, fractions, and major isolated flavonoids. MA...

The effect of different food matrices on the metabolism and excretion of polyphenols is uncertain. The objective of the study was to evaluate the possible effect of milk on the excretion of (2)-epicatechin metabolites from cocoa powder after its ingestion with and without milk. Twenty-one volunteers received the following three test meals each in a randomised cross-over design with a 1-week int...

The Arabidopsis thaliana transparent testa10 (tt10) mutant exhibits a delay in developmentally determined browning of the seed coat, also called the testa. Seed coat browning is caused by the oxidation of flavonoids, particularly proanthocyanidins, which are polymers of flavan-3-ol subunits such as epicatechin and catechin. The tt10 mutant seeds accumulate more epicatechin monomers and more sol...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal autoimmune condition with an inappropriate immune response. We investigated DNA damage induced in vitro in lymphocytes from IBD patients caused by oxidative stress through H(2)O(2) and 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) and whether the plant flavonoids...