Treatment of vascular retinopathies with Pycnogenol((R))

The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of Pycnogenol(R) on the progression of diabetic retinopathy and other vascular retinal disorders. The study consisted of a double-blind phase in which 20 patients were recru ited and randomly treated with placebo or Pycnogenol(R) (50 mg x 3/day for 2 months) and an open phase in which another 20 patients were treated with Pycnogenol(R) at the same dose schedule. In total, 40 patients with diabete s, atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases involving the retina were en rolled; 30 of them were treated with Pycnogenol(R) and 10 with placebo. The results demonstrated a beneficial effect of Pycnogenol(R) on the progre ssion of retinopathy, Without any treatment (placebo) the retinopathy progr essively worsened during the trial and the visual acuity significantly decr eased; on the contrary, the Pycnogenol(R)-treated patients showed no deteri oration of retinal function and a significant recovery of visual acuity was also obtained, The fluorangiography showed an improvement of retinal vascu larization and a reduced endothelial permeability and leakage in the Pycnog enol(R), but not in the placebo-treated, patients. The ophthalmoscopy and t he electroretinogram (ERG) also confirmed the beneficial effects of Pycnoge nol(R), The mechanism of action of Pycnogenol(R) may be related to its free radical (FR) scavenging, antiinflammatory and capillary protective activities, It has been suggested that Pycnogenol(R) may bind to the blood vessel wall pro teins and mucopolysaccharides and produce a capillary 'sealing' effect, lea ding to a reduced capillary permeability and oedema formation, Copyright (C ) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.