title: The absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of procyanidins.
abstract: Procyanidins (PAs) are polyphenols in plant food that have many health benefits, including cancer prevention, cardiovascular protection and diabetes prevention. PAs have been known to have low oral bioavailability. In this review, we summarize the published results on the ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion) of PAs in vivo and in vitro. After oral administration, in the stomach the decomposition of PAs is highly dependent on the pH value of gastric juice, which is also affected by food intake. In the small intestine, PA polymers and oligomers with DP > 4 are not directly absorbed in vivo, but minor PA monomers and dimers could be detected in the plasma. Methylated and glucuronidated PA dimers and monomers are the main metabolites of PAs in plasma. In the colon, PAs are catabolized by colonic microflora into a series of low molecular weight phenolic acids, such as phenyl valerolactone, phenylacetic acids and phenylpropionic acids. We reviewed the degradation of PAs in gastric digestion, the absorption of PAs in the small intestine and the metabolic pathway of PAs by colonic microflora. To clearly explain the in vivo pharmacokinetics of PAs, a systematic comparative analysis on previously published data on PAs was conducted.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China. zhli2091@sina.com xcwan@ahau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China. zhli2091@sina.com xcwan@ahau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yijun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China. zhli2091@sina.com xcwan@ahau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Daxiang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, 65 Dudley Rd., New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
authors.forename: Chi-Tang
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China.
authors.forename: Junsong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China. zhli2091@sina.com xcwan@ahau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaochun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044946:Biflavonoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001682:Biological Availability; D002392:Catechin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004063:Digestion; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000378:metabolism; D044945:Proanthocyanidins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D044946:Biflavonoids; D044945:Proanthocyanidins; C017674:procyanidin; D002392:Catechin