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Treatment of vascular retinopathies with Pycnogenol ®
Author(s) -
Spadea L.,
Balestrazzi E.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.853
Subject(s) - retinal , placebo , medicine , diabetic retinopathy , retinopathy , diabetes mellitus , ophthalmology , endocrinology , pathology , alternative medicine
The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of Pycnogenol ® on the progression of diabetic retinopathy and other vascular retinal disorders. The study consisted of a double‐blind phase in which 20 patients were recruited and randomly treated with placebo or Pycnogenol ® (50 mg × 3/day for 2 months) and an open phase in which another 20 patients were treated with Pycnogenol ® at the same dose schedule. In total, 40 patients with diabetes, atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases involving the retina were enrolled; 30 of them were treated with Pycnogenol ® and 10 with placebo. The results demonstrated a beneficial effect of Pycnogenol ® on the progression of retinopathy. Without any treatment (placebo) the retinopathy progressively worsened during the trial and the visual acuity significantly decreased; on the contrary, the Pycnogenol ® ‐treated patients showed no deterioration of retinal function and a significant recovery of visual acuity was also obtained. The fluorangiography showed an improvement of retinal vascularization and a reduced endothelial permeability and leakage in the Pycnogenol ® , but not in the placebo‐treated, patients. The ophthalmoscopy and the electroretinogram (ERG) also confirmed the beneficial effects of Pycnogenol ® . The mechanism of action of Pycnogenol ® may be related to its free radical (FR) scavenging, anti‐inflammatory and capillary protective activities. It has been suggested that Pycnogenol ® may bind to the blood vessel wall proteins and mucopolysaccharides and produce a capillary ‘sealing’ effect, leading to a reduced capillary permeability and oedema formation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.