ABSTRACT
Introduction 379
Sources and Bioavailability 380
Antioxidant Capacity 382
Modulation of Gene Expression 383
Cardiovascular Related Genes 384
Cancer Related Genes 384
Inflammation Related Genes 385
Application of cDNA Array Techniques 386
Other Avenues 389
Conclusion 389
References 390
INTRODUCTION
Polyphenols are attracting growing interest in nutrition and medicine for their
anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, or anti-allergic effects and for their protective
role in heart diseases, cancer, and different pathologies. Polyphenols are phenolic
compounds, naturally found in vegetables and responsible for their characteristic
colors. Nowadays, polyphenols have achieved such a big interest that plants have
been engineered for the production of new strains with increased levels of
selected polyphenols (1). Initially, polyphenols have been considered molecules
without any benefit for humans. Later, nutritional studies have shown that the
polyphenol component of vegetables, accounts for most of their antioxidant
and free radical-scavenging activities. More recently, their ability to affect
enzyme activity and cell response and to modulate gene expression have been
reported, providing a novel and different mechanistic perspective underlying
their biological activity. This chapter focuses on the recent advances and hypoth-
esis on the antioxidant activity and gene expression effects of procyanidins, a
class of polyphenols that is gaining interest within the scientific community.
