Vascular System
- Cells in our body are connected together by an intricate network
of blood vessels, collectively known as the vascular system.
This
system is responsible for bringing nourishment to cells, removing
wastes and providing a transportation system for immune and stem
cells. Proper functioning of the heart and brain is dependent
upon receiving oxygen and cellular nutrients, which is the responsibility
of the vascular system.
Blood vessel walls are largely constructed of two proteins: collagen,
which provides strength, and elastin, which gives it elasticity
and suppleness. Blood vessel tissue is constructed of intertwined
collagen strands that are connected by covalent bonds between
hydroxyproline residues in the polypeptide strands, forming a
structure known as a cross-link. The strength of tissue formed
by collagen is dependent on sufficient cross-linking. However,
oxidation causes excessive cross-linking, which, in the case of
blood vessels, causes them to harden. This is also another suspected
contributor to atherosclerosis.
OPCs inhibit the enzymes that tighten elastin protein and degrade
collagen. OPCs also promote adequate cross-linking of collagen,
directly supporting the strength of blood vessels. Dr. Mizutani
and colleagues from Kyoto University (Japan) found that red wine
extract administered for an 8-week period to rats bred to be stroke
prone caused a significant relaxation of the aortic tissue (the
main artery that feeds the heart). As a result, blood pressure
and heart size were greatly reduced as compared to rats not fed
the extract.
Venous insufficiency is a condition in which the veins and muscles
(most often in the legs) fail to return blood properly to the
heart. As a result walking becomes lpainful and difficult. OPCs
have been shown to help. Dr. Costantini and team from the universita
delgi studi (Italy) treated 24 men and women with OPC extracts.
After just ten days, markers of swelling, itching, heaviness,
and pain were significantly decreased in 19 subjects. On average,
pain was reduced by 53% and itching by 80%. In 2002, German researcher
Dr. Koch found OPC's from pine bark extract reduced leg swelling
and improved the perception of pain and heaviness in men and women
suffering from venous insufficiency. Dr. Koch's findings confirmed
that of Dr. Arcangeli from the Universita delgi Studi di Firenze
(Italy) in which leg swelling and pain disappeared in 60% of the
patients, and leg heaviness disappeared in 33%.
OPC's also protect down to the most delicate of our blood vessels.
The health of our caplillaries and microcapillaries, that interconnect
the smallest artery branches to tiny veins, is vital to ensuring
proper circulation. However, capillaries and microcapillaries
tend to rupture easily and become porous, and these problems occur
more frequently as we age. As a result the tissues fed by these
tiny blood vessels become filled with water, cutting off circulation
to eventually cause varicose veins and leg ulcers. OPC's have
been found to improve caplillary strength and thus reduce the
redness and swelling associated with these conditions.
Microcapillaries are a particularly important component of the
structure of the eye, and vision can be impaired if we incur blockages
or damage to the tiny blood vessels that nourish the cells of
the eye. In healthy people, researchers from the Paris (France)
flight training school found that OPC's improved night vision
and vision after exposure to glare. Separate research in France
also showed that OPC's repaired capillary damage involved in the
vision disease known as retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness
in diabetics.
