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Related Experiment Videos

Epicatechin is the primary bioavailable form of the procyanidin dimers B2 and B5 after transfer across the small

J P Spencer1, H Schroeter, B Shenoy

  • 1Centre for Age-Related Diseases, GKT School of Biomedical Sciences, King's College London, London SE1 9RT, UK.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|July 17, 2001
PubMed
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Cocoa procyanidin dimers are minimally transferred intact across the small intestine. Instead, they are cleaved into epicatechin monomers, a process requiring energy and intact enterocytes for efficient flavanol absorption.

Area of Science:

  • * Nutritional Biochemistry
  • * Pharmacology
  • * Food Science

Background:

  • * Procyanidins are flavanol compounds found in cocoa with potential health benefits.
  • * Understanding their absorption and metabolism is crucial for dietary recommendations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To investigate the intestinal transfer and metabolism of cocoa procyanidin dimers B2 and B5.
  • * To determine the fate of these dimers during absorption in the small intestine.

Main Methods:

  • * Isolated small intestine perfusion model.
  • * Analysis of flavanol compounds on the serosal side post-perfusion.
  • * Incubation with jejunal homogenates to assess metabolic potential.

Main Results:

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  • * Procyanidin dimers B2 and B5 showed very limited transfer (<1%) to the serosal side.
  • * The primary serosal compound was unmetabolized epicatechin monomer (95.8%), indicating dimer cleavage.
  • * Dimer cleavage is energy-dependent and requires intact enterocytes; jejunal homogenates did not yield epicatechin.
  • * Low levels of methylated dimer were detected, but no epicatechin conjugates or metabolites.
  • * High dimer concentrations inhibited catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity.

Conclusions:

  • * Intestinal absorption of procyanidin dimers involves significant cleavage into epicatechin monomers.
  • * This cleavage is an active, energy-dependent process occurring within enterocytes.
  • * Limited metabolism of both dimers and monomers occurs during translocation; COMT activity can be inhibited by high dimer levels.