Effect of natural polyphenols (Pycnogenol) on oxidative stress markers in children suffering from Crohn's disease – a pilot study

Abstract

Crohn's disease (CD) is a nonspecific, chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. It is supposed that in etiopathogenesis oxidative stress (OS) plays a role. However, its precise role in the active and non-active states of disease is not known yet. We conducted a pilot study focusing on the relationship between OS of CD in remission and the possibility to influence clinical parameters and markers of OS by polyphenolic extract, Pycnogenol^® (Pyc). Compared to 15 healthy controls 15 pediatric CD patients (all were in remission according to their disease activity index – PCDAI) had reduced the activity of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) and increased the oxidative damage to proteins. We found negative correlations between markers of inflammation (calprotectin, CRP) as well as between PCDAI and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Activities of antioxidant enzymes, SOD, and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) negatively correlated with calprotectin and PCDAI. Pyc (2 mg/kg) positively influenced the parameters of OS in CD patients after 10 weeks of administration.

Keywords::

• Crohn's disease
• oxidative stress
• antioxidant enzymes
• Pycnogenol
• calprotectin
• diamine oxidase
• iron metabolism

Acknowledgement

Pycnogenol was kindly provided by Horphag Res. Ltd., Geneva, Switzerland. The authors thank to Dr. Frank Schonlau, PhD. from Horphag. Res. for his kind contribution to manuscript preparation, to Mrs. L. Chandogová and D. Opálená for their technical cooperation, to Mrs. L. Míková for her help with references, and to the nurses from 2nd Pediatric Clinic of the Children's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine CU for their help during collection of biological material.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

The study was conducted with the financial support from the Ministry of Health grant 2007/16-UK-01, grants VEGA 1/4310/07 and 1/0224/08 and Mind and Health, civil association.