ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION The term pycnogenols was coined to describe an entire class of flavonoids composed of flavan3-ol derivatives (from the ancient Greek puknos, which means condensed, and genos, which means class, family). This term was originally intended to serve as a scientific name for this class of polyphenols (1), but now refers to a specific blend of procyanidins extracted from the bark of the French maritime pine (Pinus maritima), which is patented under the trade name of Pycnogenol (PYC) (Horphag Research, Geneva, Switzerland). Pycnogenol is now utilized throughout the world as a nutritional supplement and as a phytochemical remedy for various diseases, ranging from chronic inflammation, to circulatory dysfunction. Studies that have been done consistently indicate that this flavonoid mixture has tremendous antioxidant capacity as well as other bioactivities not directly associated with its free radical-scavenging activity, such as inhibition of enzyme activity and modulation of gene expression. For a general review that covers all points in this chapter, see Ref. 2.
