Red-wine polyphenols and inhibition of platelet aggregation: possible mechanisms, and potential use in health promotion and disease prevention.

An extract from red-wine grape fermentation, ANOX has been developed as a source of red-wine polyphenols, which are thought to inhibit several of the pathogenic pathways that lead to cardiovascular disease. New data indicate that this extract has a significantly greater effect than either red wine or red-wine powder on the inhibition of platelet aggregation in vitro. Based on this data, about 300 - 500 mg of the extract is equivalent to the daily dose of red-wine polyphenols that appears to protect against cardiovascular disease. The possible synergistic effect of red-wine polyphenols with vitamin C, their vasorelaxing activity and their possible role in preventing over-crosslinking of connective tissues (premature ageing) are considered. The extract contains standardized amounts of the whole spectrum of polyphenolic compounds found in red wine and may provide a valuable reference substance in clinical investigations of the physiological actions of plant polyphenols; its potential use in functional nutrition and preventive medicine is also discussed.

Effects of dietary supplementation with polyunsaturated ethyl ester lipids (Angiosan) in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

A total of 80 patients with chronic, stable psoriasis, 34 of whom also had psoriatic arthritis, were treated with 1122 mg/day eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester and 756 mg/day docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester. Before the study and after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment a Psoriatic Association scoring index (PASI) score was assessed. Before treatment the mean PASI score was 3.56, after 4 weeks 1.98 and after 8 weeks 1.24; the decrease in the score was highly significant (P less than 0.001). The degree of pruritus decreased most rapidly, followed by scaling and induration of the plaques, and erythema was most persistent. At the end of the trial, seven patients were completely healed and in 13 other patients more than 75% healing was observed but in 14 patients the result was poor. The majority of patients with psoriatic arthritis reported a subjective improvement in joint pain during the study. It is concluded that polyunsaturated ethyl ester lipids may be useful for the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and may provide an important adjuvant to standard therapy of both conditions.