ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Cardioangiologica 2019 December;67(6):450-5

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4725.19.05048-5

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Pycnogenol®+Centellicum®, post-stent evaluation: prevention of neointima and plaque re-growth

Gianni BELCARO ^{1, 2} ✉, Maria R. CESARONE ^{1, 2}, Claudia SCIPIONE ^{1, 2}, Valeria SCIPIONE ^{1, 2}, Mark DUGALL ^{1, 2}, Shu HU ^{1, 2}, Beatrice FERAGALLI ^{1, 2}, Roberta LUZZI ^{1, 2}, Morio HOSOI ^{1, 2}, Claudia MAIONE ^{1, 2}, Roberto COTELLESE ^{1, 2}

¹ Irvine3 Labs, Department of Medical and Oral Sciences, and Biotechnologies, G. D’Annunzio University, Pescara, Italy; ² International Agency for Pharma-Standard Supplements (IA-PSS), Geneva, Switzerland

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the regrowth and progression of within-stent neointima after stenting as a model of accelerated atherosclerosis and the potential effects of the combination Pycnogenol® and Centellicum® in 12 months’ follow-up.
METHODS: Progression was defined as the passage from one arterial risk class to next, more advanced risk class in 12 months of follow-up. Each class corresponds to a different risk of cardiovascular events and progression. Three management groups were formed, treated with either standard management (SM), Pycnogenol® 150 mg/day, or a combination of Pycnogenol® 150 mg/day and Centellicum® 450 mg/day.
RESULTS: No side effects or tolerability problems were observed. 82 subjects with stented arteries in class 2 were evaluated for the passage into class 3 over 12 months. This group included 82 subjects; there were no dropouts. The management subgroups were comparable at baseline. At 12 months 66.7% of subjects in the SM subgroup progressed to class 3, versus 10.7% in the Pycnogenol® group; progression was seen in 6.7% (P<0.05) of subjects supplemented with the combination. In the second section of the registry study (78 subjects with stented arteries in class 3) we evaluated the percentage of patients passing into class 4. At 12 months 53.6% of subjects using the SM progressed versus 26.9% in the subgroup using Pycnogenol® (P<0.05) and 11.5% in the Pycnogenol®+Centellicum® group (P<0.05). Across all 160 subjects in the three management groups, progression of the stented artery at 12 months was seen in 59.6% of subjects in the SM group versus 18.5% (P<0.05) in the group managed with Pycnogenol® only. The Pycnogenol®+Centellicum® combination further decreased progression down to 8.9% (P<0.05). Oxidative stress was significantly reduced (P<0.05) in the two supplement groups.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the combination Pycnogenol®+Centellicum® appears to reduce the rate of progression of the neointima after stenting.

KEY WORDS: Stents; Stenosis; Atherosclerotic plaque; Pycnogenols; Atherosclerosis; Aspirin