Groundbreaking study: Masquelier's OPCs support genomic integrity and DNA repair

Groundbreaking Brazilian study provides strong evidence that Masquelier's OPCs support genomic integrity and DNA repair. For this reason they deserve a place in the daily diet of everyone who cares about his or her short-term and long-term health.
  • Excerpt

Evaluation of the benefits of MASQUELIER's® grape seed extract in farmers exposed to pesticides in southern Brazil, is the tile of a groundbreaking study that shows that this authentic botanical compound is capable of reducing genomic instability and DNA-damage caused by genotoxic pesticides. The study's abstract will be presented at the 71st Brazilian Genetics Congress, which will be held from the 29th of September to the 2nd of October in Florianópolis (Brazil), by the research team that performed the study under supervision of Dr. Sharbel Weidner Maluf, Principal Investigator at Universitary Hospital of the University of Santa Catarina. The abstract's conclusion states: "Supplementation with 200 mg/day of MASQUELIER's® OPCs for 8 weeks reduced the frequency of micronuclei [DNA-debris], nucleoplasmic bridges [misrepaired DNA-breaks], and apoptosis [programmed cell death] in pesticide-exposed farmers, suggesting a potential role in modulating genomic stability, protecting against disease progression, including cancer, and mitigating pesticide-induced toxicity."

Table of contents

Anyone who wants to study the beneficial effects of a compound on DNA-repair and genomic stability is faced with the problem that it is unethical and thus not permitted to set up a placebo-controlled study design in which DNA-harm is first deliberately inflicted on a group of participants by exposing all of them to a genotoxic agent, to then investigate what a geno-friendly compound will do in the one half of the group that receives the geno-friendly compound, leaving the other half that receives the inert placebo with their damaged DNA. So, one has to find a population that is occupationally or otherwise exposed to genotoxins such as pesticides. Well, as Dr. Sharbel explains in his study, it so happens that "the Brazilian economy is mainly based on agricultural production. The most prominent agricultural areas in Brazil are in the South, Northeast and Central-West regions. Contamination by pesticides in these areas occurs through direct contact, through the air, water, soil, and especially through the handling and incorrect disposal of their residues." No wonder that Brazil is one of the countries that uses the most pesticides in the world.

Pesticides are classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as Known and Probable Human Carcinogens. They are also associated with chromosomal alterations, oxidative stress, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative conditions, and reproductive disorders. Error-prone DNA repair is considered a risk factor for several types of cancer; Genetic lesions are associated with the development of carcinogenesis. DNA damage can result from exposure to exogenous agents, such as xenobiotics in the air, water, food, and over-exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation; or from endogenous sources, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipids or proteins to which a sugar became attached. Protein-sugar complexes also come about when food is exposed to high temperatures. They are typically found in grilled or roasted steaks, fried dumplings, cookies, biscuits, bread and roasted marshmallows.

Dr. Sharbel and his team selected a group of farmers with a history of exposure to pesticides as part of their work activity for at least 5 years. The area (Santo Amaro da Imperatriz) was chosen to conduct this research due to the intense agricultural activity in the region, and the partnership between the Federal University of Santa Catarina and the municipal Health Department. The farmers were instructed to take 2 x 100mg Masquelier's OPCs daily for a period of 8 weeks. Blood samples were taken at the beginning and at the end of the trial. Given the relatively modest daily dosis and the short period of the trial, the outcomes are quite fascinating.

Supplementation with Masquelier® OPCs extract at a dosage of 200 mg for 8 weeks in individuals highly exposed to pesticides:

  • Reduced oxidative DNA damage;
  • Decreased the frequency of chromosomal damage markers and improved genomic stability.
  • Reduced chromosomal instability related to misrepaired DNA breaks and other destabilizing factors.
  • Decreased programmed cell death (apoptosis), suggesting Masquelier's OPCs' ability to modulate genomic stability, protect against the onset and progression of diseases such as cancer, and reduce pesticide-induced toxicity.
  • Led to greater organization and efficiency of the immune system.
  • Reduced immunotoxicity, upregulated the immune system, and modulated age-related deterioration of the immune system.
  • Reduced pesticide-induced toxicity, enhanced pesticide clearance by the body, and modulated the clinical symptoms of inflammatory diseases.

The researchers concluded that intervention with Masquelier's® OPCs "could suggest the extract's potential to modulate chronic inflammatory diseases (such as obesity and obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer), as well as pesticide-induced clinical symptoms (such as tremors and spasms)."

What does this trial have to do with "the rest of the world"? Well, although in many countries the use of pesticides has been strictly regulated, the fact remains that exogenous (environmental and food-born) compounds that destabilize genomic integrity are ubiquitous in modern societies. Other than this, no human body is perfect, and normal physiological processes do produce substances that compromise genomic integrity and thus cause premature aging. Just think of the free radicals that are the inevitable by-products of the body's regular use of oxygen. Surely, the body has its own anti-oxidative system of defense that scavenges free radicals, but taken together, exogenous and endogenous oxidative stress easily create oxidative overload. Add to this the fact that, while today's recommended dietary intake of micronutrients may be sufficient to prevent the classic deficiency diseases, they are totally inadequate when it comes to sustain and optimize genomic integrity. Against this backdrop, the immense importance of the Brazilian study stems from the fact that it provides irrefutable evidence that Masquelier's OPCs support genomic integrity and DNA repair. For this reason they deserve a place in the daily diet of everyone who cares about his or her short-term and long-term health.