Treatment of ADHD with French maritime pine bark extract, Pycnogenol® Inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2 activity by plasma of human volunteers after ingestion of French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol). Pycnogenol, French maritime pine bark extract, improves endothelial function of hypertensive patients. Antidiabetic effect of Pycnogenol French maritime pine bark extract in patients with diabetes type II. Analgesic efficacy of French maritime pine bark extract in dysmenorrhea: an open clinical trial. Pycnogenol®, French Maritime Pine Bark Extract, Augments Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Humans Effect of pine bark extract (Pycnogenol) on symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) is the most common psychiatric disorder in children .  Pycnogenol ® , an extract from the bark of the French maritime pine , consisting of phenolic acids , catechin , taxifolin and procyanidins , has shown improvement of ADHD in case reports and in an open study . Aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Pycnogenol ® on ADHD symptoms .  Sixty-one children were supplemented with 1 mg/kg/day Pycnogenol ® or placebo over a period of 4 weeks in a r and omised , placebo-controlled , doubleblind study . Patients were examined at start of trial , 1 month after treatment and 1 month after end of treatment period by st and ard question naires : CAP ( Child Attention Problems ) teacher rating scale , Conner ’s Teacher Rating Scale ( CTRS ) , the Conner ’s Parent Rating Scale ( CPRS ) and a modified Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children . Results show that 1-month Pycnogenol ® administration caused a significant reduction of hyperactivity , improves attention and visual – motoric coordination and concentration of children with ADHD . In the placebo group no positive effects were found . One month after termination of Pycnogenol ® administration a relapse of symptoms was noted . Our results point to an option to use Pycnogenol as a natural supplement to relieve ADHD symptoms of children There is evidence from several studies that supplementation with French maritime pine bark extract ( Pycnogenol ) improves inflammatory symptoms in vivo . However , the molecular pharmacological basis for the observed effects has not been fully uncovered yet . Direct inhibitory effects of plant extracts or components upon cyclooxygenase ( COX ) activity have been repeatedly reported , but the question remained whether sufficiently high in vivo concentrations of bioactive compounds could be achieved in humans . The purpose of the present study was to determine a possible inhibition of the enzymatic activity of COX-1 and COX-2 by serum sample s of human volunteers after intake of French maritime pine bark extract .  This methodology considered that the serum sample s would contain any bioavailable active principle . Therefore , we obtained blood sample s before and after 5 days administration of 200 mg  Pycnogenol to five healthy humans . The plasma moderately inhibited both COX-1 and COX-2 activities ex vivo . In a second approach , 10 volunteers received a single dose of 300 mg Pycnogenol . Only 30 min after ingestion of the pine bark extract the serum sample s induced a statistically significant increase in the inhibition of both COX-1 ( P < 0.02 ) and COX-2 ( P < 0.002 ) . This suggests a strikingly rapid bioavailability of bioeffective compounds after oral intake of the extract . Thus , we provide evidence that Pycnogenol exerts effects by inhibition of eicosanoid generating enzymes which is consistent with reported clinical anti-inflammatory and platelet inhibitory effects in vivo . The next challenge is to identify the active principle(s ) that are rapidly bioavailable in human plasma A placebo-controlled , double-blind , parallel group study was performed with 58 patients to investigate effects of French maritime pine bark extract , Pycnogenol  , on patients with hypertension . Supplementation of the patients with 100 mg Pycnogenol over a period of 12 weeks helped to reduce the dose of the calcium antagonist nifedipine in a statistically significant manner . The intake of Pycnogenol decreased endothelin-1 concentrations significantly compared to placebo while concentrations of 6-keto prostagl and in F1a in plasma were significantly higher compared to placebo .  Values for nitric oxide ( NO ) in plasma increased in both groups , but the differences were not significant . Angiotensin II concentrations in plasma were lowered in the placebo group to a larger extent than in the Pycnogenol group . Heart rate , electrolytes and blood urea nitrogen were not changed during treatment in both groups of patients . Unwanted effects observed in both groups were of mild and transient nature , such as gastrointestinal problems , vertigo , headache and nausea . Differences in rate of side effects were not statistically significant between the two groups . Study results support a supplementation with Pycnogenol for mildly hypertensive patients A double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omized , multi-center study was performed with 77 diabetes type II patients to investigate anti-diabetic effects of the French maritime pine bark extract , Pynogenol . Supplementation with 100 mg Pycnogenol for 12 weeks , during which a st and ard anti-diabetic treatment was continued , significantly lowered plasma glucose levels as compared to placebo .  HbA1(c ) was also lowered ; however , the difference as compared to placebo was statistically significant only for the first month . In the Pycnogenol-group  endothelin-1 was significantly decreased , while 6-ketoprostagl and in F(1a ) in plasma was elevated compared to placebo . Nitric oxide levels in plasma increased during treatment in both groups , but , differences did not reach statistical significance . Pycnogenol was well-tolerated with ECG , electrolytes , creatinine and blood urea nitrogen remaining unchanged in both groups . Mild and transient unwanted effects were reported for both groups without significant differences . Supplementation of Pycnogenol to conventional diabetes treatment lowers glucose levels and improves endothelial function OBJECTIVE To clarify the effect of Pycnogenol ( Horphag Research , Switzerl and ) , French maritime pine bark extract , on menstrual pain . STUDY DESIGN We treated 47 patients with menstrual pain , aged 21 - 45 years , with Pycnogenol at 30 mg ( 2 capsules ) orally twice a dysmenorrl day . The administration of Pycnogenol began on the eighth day of the first menstrual cycle and continued until the seventh day of the third menstrual cycle . Improvement was evaluated by measuring scores of symptoms during the first and second , and first and third menstrual cycle using the Wilcoxon rank sum test . RESULTS Treatment with Pycnogenol lowered the pain scores for abdominal pain significantly ( p < 0.05 ) as compared to pretreatment values . Pain relief in the second cycle of treatment was better as compared to the first cycle of treatment , as indicated by a higher level of significance ( p < 0.01 ) and lower median pain score . The number of days with abdominal pain showed a trend toward fewer days with pain ; however , the difference failed to reach significance . Relief of back pain was not that pronounced during the first cycle treated with Pycnogenol ; the pain scores were not significantly different from those in the pretreatment period . However , continuation of treatment during the second cycle produced significant pain relief ( p < 0.01 ) . The number of days with back pain decreased . The number of days with pain was significantly lower ( p < 0.01 ) in the second cycle of treatment with Pycnogenol . CONCLUSION Pycnogenol has a potential analgesic effect on menstrual pain Pycnogenol ® , an extract of bark from the French maritime pine , Pinus pinaster Ait . , consists of a concentrate of water-soluble polyphenols . Pycnogenol ® contains the bioflavonoids catechin and taxifolin as well as phenolcarbonic acids . Antioxidants , such as bioflavonoids , enhance endothelial nitric oxide ( NO ) synthase expression and subsequent NO release from endothelial cells . The purpose of this study was to determine Pycnogenol ® 's effects on endothelium-dependent vasodilation in humans . This was a double-blind , r and omized , placebo and active drug study . We evaluated forearm blood flow ( FBF ) responses to acetylcholine ( ACh ) , an endothelium-dependent vasodilator , and to sodium nitroprusside ( SNP ) , an endothelium-independent vasodilator , in healthy young men before and after 2 weeks of daily oral administration of Pycnogenol ® ( 180 mg/day ) ( n=8 ) or placebo ( n=8 ) . FBF was measured by using strain-gauge plethysmography . Neither the placebo nor Pycnogenol ® altered forearm or systemic hemodynamics  . Pycnogenol ® , but not placebo , augmented FBF response to ACh , from 13.1±7.0 to 18.5±4.0 mL/min per 100 mL tissue ( p<0.05 ) . SNP-stimulated vasodilation was similar before and after 2 weeks of treatment in the control and Pycnogenol ® groups . The administration of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine , an NO synthase inhibitor , completely abolished Pycnogenol ® -induced augmentation of the FBF response to ACh . These findings suggest that Pycnogenol ® augments endothelium-dependent vasodilation by increasing in NO production  . Pycnogenol ® would be useful for treating various diseases whose pathogeneses involve endothelial dysfunction OBJECTIVE The safe and efficacious use of Pycnogenol ( French maritime pine bark extract ) in other inflammatory diseases prompted this study of its antiinflammatory effects in patients with osteoarthritis ( OA ) . The aim of the study was to evaluate whether Pycnogenol reduces the symptoms of OA in a double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omly allocated trial with patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis stages I and II . METHODS 100 patients were treated for 3 months either by 150 mg Pycnogenol per day at meals or by placebo . Patients had to report any change of use of previously prescribed antiinflammatory medication during the study period . Patients filled the Western Ontario and Mc Masters University ( WOMAC ) question naire for osteoarthritis every 2 weeks and evaluated weekly pain symptoms using a visual analogue scale for pain intensity . RESULTS Following treatment with Pycnogenol patients reported an improvement of WOMAC index ( p < 0.05 ) , and a significant alleviation of pain by visual analogue scale ( p < 0.04 ) , the placebo had no effect . The use of analgesics diminished in the verum group but increased under the placebo . Treatment with Pycnogenol was well tolerated . CONCLUSION Results show that Pycnogenol  in patients with mild to moderate OA improves symptoms and is able to spare NSAIDs
Present systematic review and meta- analysis suggested Pycnogenol consumption can decrease the level of CRP and have anti-inflammatory effect .
Pycnogenol is a st and ardized extract from the bark of the French maritime pine .
The aim of the present systematic review and meta- analysis was to clarify the effect of Pycnogenol supplementation on C-reactive protein ( CRP ) concentration .