White wine extract shows gastro benefits in vitro. Clinicals planned for 2016

10-Nov-2015 - Last updated on 12-Nov-2015 at 08:38 GMT

Grape seed extract shown to have antioxidant activity inside the gut in in vitro research

A standardised white wine grape seed extract can deliver raised levels of procyanidin antioxidants and improve gastrointestinal wellbeing, researchers in Milan have found.

The in vitro findings, presented ahead of publication at the 7th International Conference on Polyphenols and Health in late October in France, found Vitis vinifera L. extracts supplied by Italian botanicals giant Indena reduced effects of gastrointestinal inflammation via reduced pro-inflammatory signaling protein cytokine activity (Il-8).

The researchers from the Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Science at the University of Milan detected the effect by introducing the Enovita-branded white wine grape seed extracts at greater intensities for a 6-hour period into human epithelial cells (cells that line internal and external bodily surfaces).

Gastrointestinal inflammation can include gastritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Antonella Riva, senior scientific researcher at Indena, told us that, in case the research yields results strong enough, next year the design of human clinical trials will be developed.

“Our standardised botanical ingredients have a lot of potential, also in areas like stress and ageing and we look forward to the clinical data” Riva said.

Claims

She acknowledged that the botanical food supplement situation was difficult in the EU at the moment with about 2000 claim submissions on hold under the EU nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) with no clear resolution path in sight.

There are five claim submissions for Vitis vinifera L. in the NHCR register for conditions like cardiovascular health, blood circulation and weight management, none of which have been approved.

“Claims are a difficult task but all we can do is concentrate on building the science until the botanical situation is clarified in the EU.”

In a statement Riva added: “Thanks to their multiple mechanism of action, dietary polyphenols are extensively recognised to have a potential role in the protection from chronic conditions and several studies already reported their possible role in modulating challenging processes at gastrointestinal level.”