1. Non-food Bioflavonoids in Cardiac Health
Pine Bark and Passion Fruit Extracts
Ronald Ross Watson, PhD
Professor, The University of Arizona
Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health,
and College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona

4. Development of Natural Products for Health Promotion
Plant Source
Extract
Characterization
Toxicity + Efficacy
In Vitro
Animals
Humans

5. Pycnogenol for Heart Health
Stimulates vascular NO synthesis
Relaxes constricted arteries
Improves blood lipid profile
Lowers blood pressure in hypertension
Helps prevent thrombosis
Our new study suggests Pycnogenol®
can prevent adverse myocardial
remodeling N H S
Natural Health Science

6. Composition defined in:
Pycnogenol
Constituents
Procyanidins:
linked catechin
subunits
Composition defined in:
United States
Pharmacopoeia (28)

7. Endothelial nitric oxide in vascular health
endothelial cells of blood vessel wall
blood platelets
blood stream NO
Pycnogenol® NO
arginine
+ O2 NO NO NO
smooth muscle NO H P A G O R
Fitzpatrick et al., J Cardiovasc Pharm 32: , 1998

8. Enhanced Platelet Aggregration in Smokers
Persistence of Pycnogenol's Activity

13. Pycnogenol counteracts platelet aggregationH P A G O R
Pütter et al., Thromb Res 95: , 1999

14. Pycnogenol® is anti-inflammatory
Tissue damage
free radicals
cytokines &
oxidative stress
blood vessel
leukocyte

15. Pycnogenol lowers blood pressure in mild hypertensionA G O R
Hosseini et al., Nutrition Res 21: , 2001

16. Pycnogenol improves blood lipid profileH P A G O R
Devaraj et al., Lipids 37: , 2002

17. Passion fruit

18. Scientific names Passi flora. Edulisf.flavicarpa Passi flora edulis
quadrang ularis L . (giant granadilla (
Maracuju
possion fruit
Granadilla

19. Phytochemicals:
Alkaloids, Alpha-alanine, Apigenin, D-fructose, D-glucose, Flavonoids, Gum, Gynocardin, Harmaline, Harmalol, Harmine, Harmol, Homoorientin, Isoorientin, Isovitexin, Kaempferol, Lutenin-2, Luteolin, Maltol, N-nonacosane, Orientin, Passiflorine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Quercetin, Raffinose, Rutin, Saccharose, Saponaretin, Saponarine, Scopoletin, Sitosterol, Stigmasterol, Sucrose, Tyrosine, Umbelliferone, Valine, Vitexin

20. Qualitative HPLC analysis of the purified Passion Fruit

21. Baseline characteristic of the study subjects
Treatment group
Placebo
PFP extract
Number 15
Age (y)
47.4 ± 10.5
49.3 ± 12.1
Sex (male/female)
7/8
6/9
Duration of hypertension (y)
9.2 ± 4.5
7.9 ± 7.7
Pretrial blood pressure (mm Hg)
SBP
176.6 ± 4.9
179.7 ± 3.8
DBP
103.3 ± 2.3
104.3 ± 2.1
Pretrial antihypertensive medications (%)
β-Blockers
20.7
24.1
ACE inhibitors
36.3
33.1
Calcium channel blocker
26.9
Diuretics
20.2
23.6
Abnormal ECG pattern (%)
SEM (n = 15 subjects)

22. Effect of Passion Fruit on SBP and DBP in hypertensive subjects

23. Oral administration of purple passion fruit peel extract attenuates blood pressure in female spontaneously hypertensive rats and humans

24. Waste Materials, bark and peel, contain significant amounts of bioactive flavanoids expanding the value of the food plants

25. Flavanoids isolated from food plants, pine and passion fruit, lowered hypertension in humans