Title:Potential Role of Polyphenols in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases: Molecular Bases
Volume: 23
Issue: 2
Author(s): Juan Guillermo Gormaz, Nicolas Valls, Camilo Sotomayor, Thomas Turner and Ramón Rodrigo
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Polyphenols, cardiovascular diseases prevention, vasodilatation, inflammation, thrombosis, atherogenesis.
Abstract: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. It is
widely accepted that oxidative stress plays a key role in their development and progression;
hence oxidative damage might be abrogated by antioxidants. Polyphenols are phytochemicals
showing extensively studied antioxidant properties in-vivo. Most representative sources
of these compounds include fruits, greens, nuts, herbs, cocoa, tea and coffee. Epidemiological
evidence suggests an association between the consumption of polyphenol-rich vegetables and the reduction
of cardiovascular disease prevalence. This fact could be related to the anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic
and vasodilatory effects of polyphenols. Even though these biological effects could be mainly attributed to the
antioxidant activity of polyphenols, other pharmacological mechanisms should also be considered. The latter
could comprise direct anti-inflammatory effects, modulation of intracellular signaling and gene expression,
improvement of nitric oxide homeostasis, as well as platelet antiaggregation. However, it is noticeable that
protocols of interventions to evaluate the properties of polyphenols have failed to show the same positive results
reported from observational studies. At present, a controversy exists regarding the actual effectiveness of
polyphenols in preventing cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, an improvement of the available knowledge
about polyphenol pharmacokinetics, together with a better understanding of the mechanisms of action of these
compounds, could be of great benefit. Thus, a rational support for the development of interventional designs
could provide reliable evidence on the actual role of polyphenols in CVD prevention.
