Chemoprevention entails the use of synthetic agents or naturally occurring dietary phytochemicals to prevent cancer development and progression. One promising chemopreventive agent, procyanidin, is a naturally occurring polyphenol that exhibits beneficial health effects including anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antitumor activities. Procyanidin has numerous targets, many of which are components of intracellular signaling pathways, including proinflammatory mediators, regulators of cell survival and apoptosis, and angiogenic and metastatic mediators, and modulates a set of upstream kinases, transcription factors, and their regulators.

Antioxidant activity

Procyanidins have strong antioxidant activity and are one of the strongest and most effective free radical scavengers discovered by humans, especially its activities in vivo. A dose-effect relationship was shown in the antioxidant activity of proanthocyanidins shows, but if it exceeds a certain concentration, its antioxidant activity will decrease as the concentration increases.

Antioxidant features and mechanism: 1 It removes the superoxide anion radicals and hydroxyl radicals, etc. effectively, and also interrupts the free radical chain reaction; 2 and protein phosphorylation to protect lipids from having Peroxidative damage; It involves in the metabolism of phospholipids, arachidonic acid 3 It is a strong metal chelating agent which can chelate metal ions and form an inert compound in the body; 4 It protects and stabilizes vitamin C, and helps the absorption of vitamin C.

Antitumor activity

Procyanidins have a significant killing effect on a variety of tumor cells, and significantly inhibits various carcinogenic agents in both the initiation and cancer promotion stages. Procyanidins inhibit cancer cell growth and induce apoptosis. Additionally, good anticancer effects have been shown for liver cancer, prostate cancer and skin cancer, etc. With the deepening of studies, Procyanidins will play a greater role in the prevention and treatment of cancer, which is good news for cancer treatment.

Anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-edema activity

Procyanidins can reduce the increase of capillary permeability caused by inflammatory mediator histamine, bradykinin, etc., reduce the brittleness of capillary wall, reduce the tension and permeability of capillaries, and protect the transport capacity of capillarie, and thus exert anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, Procyanidins can also inhibit the activity of histamine decarboxylase, limit the action of hyaluronidase, and have a significant effect on various arthritis and gastric and duodenal ulcers.

Others

Procyanidins also have immunomodulatory, anti-radiation, anti-mutation, anti-diarrhea, anti-bacterial and anti-viral, anti-caries, improve visual effects, and are used to prevent senile dementia and treat sports injuries.

Referrence

Marden, J.W.; Rich, M.N. (1927) Vanadium. Ind. Eng. Chem., 19, 786–788.
McKechnie, R.K.; Seybolt, A.U. (1950) Preparation of ductile vanadium by calcium reduction. J. Electrochem.
Soc., 97, 311–315.
BONNE-NEUBER, A. (ed.) (1967) Vanadium, Teil A und B. In: Gmelins Handbuch der Anorganischen Chemie,
Auflage 8, Verlag-Chemie, Weinheim.