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Cocoa polyphenols and inflammatory mediators.

Helmut Sies1, Tankred Schewe, Christian Heiss

  • 1Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I and the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Pulmonary Diseases, and Angiology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. sies@uni-duesseldorf.de

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|January 11, 2005
PubMed
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Cocoa flavanols improve cardiovascular health by reducing leukotriene synthesis and enhancing nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity. They also protect low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from oxidative modification, potentially preventing atherosclerosis.

Area of Science:

  • Nutritional Biochemistry
  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Food Chemistry

Background:

  • Cocoa products are rich in flavan-3-ols, compounds of interest for cardiovascular health.
  • Polyphenols from cocoa influence leukotriene and nitric oxide (NO) metabolism.
  • Myeloperoxidase-mediated modification of LDL is implicated in atherogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the inhibitory effects of cocoa polyphenols on human 5-lipoxygenase, the enzyme critical for leukotriene synthesis.
  • To evaluate the impact of high-flavanol cocoa beverages on NO-dependent endothelial function in individuals at cardiovascular risk.
  • To assess the potential of cocoa flavan-3-ols to prevent myeloperoxidase-induced LDL oxidation.

Main Methods:

  • Enzyme inhibition assays were performed using cocoa flavan-3-ols and human 5-lipoxygenase.

Related Experiment Videos

  • A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study involved 20 individuals at cardiovascular risk consuming high- and low-flavanol cocoa beverages.
  • Measurements included flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery and plasma nitroso compound concentrations.
  • Lipid peroxidation in LDL induced by myeloperoxidase was assessed in the presence of NO metabolites and cocoa flavonoids.

    • Main Results:

    • Cocoa flavan-3-ols, including (-)-epicatechin, demonstrated inhibitory activity against 5-lipoxygenase at the enzyme level.
    • Ingestion of high-flavanol cocoa beverages significantly increased plasma nitroso compounds and flow-mediated dilation compared to low-flavanol cocoa.
    • (-)-Epicatechin and other flavonoids suppressed myeloperoxidase-induced LDL lipid peroxidation at physiologically relevant concentrations of nitrite.

    Conclusions:

    • Cocoa flavanols possess antileukotriene properties by inhibiting 5-lipoxygenase, potentially offering benefits in vivo.
    • Dietary flavonoids from cocoa may improve endothelial dysfunction by enhancing NO bioactivity.
    • Cocoa flavonoids can attenuate the adverse effects of NO metabolites and protect LDL from oxidative modification, suggesting a role in preventing atherosclerosis.