Oxidative Stress: A Reality Check on the
Impacts of Your Environment

What is Oxidative Stress?  It is defined as a condition of increased oxidant production in cells, characterized by the release of free radicals and resulting in cellular degeneration. Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage or “oxidize” cells throughout the body in a process called oxidative stress.

What contributes to oxidative stress? The answer begins with eating too many calories, sugars and refined carbohydrates and continues with exposure to tobacco smoke, alcohol, air pollutants, lack of sleep and of course, stress. But there are things you can do about it!

Oxidative Stress – Inflammation

Aging decreases the positive regulators of Nrf2 and increases the negative regulators of Nrf2, thus leaving the body more susceptible to chronic inflammation, atherosclerosis, toxic exposure and oxidative stress. The Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway can be directly and positively activated by a number of the polyphenols found in OProCyn.

Numerous studies have highlighted the key role of oxidative stress and inflammation in age-related diseases such as arthritis, obesity, type 2 diabetes, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In aging cells the natural antioxidant capacity declines compared to younger cells and the overall efficiency of repair systems against cellular damage becomes impaired. Research gives us convincing data that supplementation with polyphenols containing resveratrol, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins and catechins as found in OProCyn can increase cellular antioxidant defenses and promote overall health of the individual.
oxidative stress imagePolyphenols in OProCyn are shown to activate the Nrf2 defense pathway, which acts as a “master regulator” of the cellular antioxidant response of over 250 phase 2 genes referred to as pro-life genes.

Because of the exceptional sourcing and quality practices upheld by Advanced Functional Nutrition, OProCyn is designed with this support in mind.

Endogenous biological substances are those originating or produced naturally within your body’s tissues or cells. The activation of the body’s endogenous antioxidant defences and Phase 2 enzyme systems is through activation of the broadly researched and highly conserved evolutionary defence pathway called the Nuclear Erythroid 2 Related Factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway.

Nrf2 regulates the expression of a large battery of genes involved in the cellular antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways as well as in mitochondrial protection
Nrf2 therefore acts as a master regulator of the cellular antioxidant response of over 250 phase 2 genes (and greater than 90% of the anti-oxidant genes) that should be referred to as “pro-life genes” since they save cells from cell death.
Nrf2 activation can at once regulate multiple phyto-protective enzymes that are capable of simultaneous inhibition of major pathogenic pathways, such as oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, endothelial dysfunction, neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction.
These expressed phyto-protective enzymes (due to Nrf2 activated by select polyphenols) are cytoprotective proteins are referred to as the “ultimate antioxidants,” as they are not consumed during their antioxidant actions, can catalyze a wide variety of detoxification reactions and have relatively long half-lives.
These same expressed phyto-protective enzymes detoxify many harmful substances that can be excreted readily from the body.
Loss of or reduced Nrf2 signaling increases susceptibility to acute toxicity, inflammation, carcinogenesis, and many chronic diseases.

Kropat C, et al. Modulation of Nrf2-dependent gene transcription by bilberry anthocyanins in vivo. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2013.

Citation: Chen S, Zhu Y, Liu Z, Gao Z, Li B, Zhang D, et al. (2015) Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract Ameliorates Diabetic Bladder Dysfunction via the Activation of the Nrf2 Pathway. PLoS ONE10(5):e0126457 .doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0126457

Terra X, Valls J, Vitrac X, Mérrillon JM, Arola L, Ardèvol A, Bladé C, Fernandez-Larrea J, Pujadas G, Salvadó J, Blay M. Grape-seed procyanidins act as antiinflammatory agents in endotoxin-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages by inhibiting NFkB signaling pathway. J Agric Food Chem. 2007 May 30;55(11):4357-65.

Karlsen A, Paur I, Bøhn SK, et al. (2010) Bilberry juice modulates plasma concentration of NF-κB related inflammatory markers in subjects at increased risk of CVD. Eur J Nutr 49, 345–355.

Toxicology. 2000 Aug 7;148(2-3):187-97.Free radicals and grape seed proanthocyanidin extract: importance in human health and disease prevention.Bagchi D1, Bagchi M, Stohs SJ, Das DK, Ray SD, Kuszynski CA, Joshi SS, Pruess HG.