Beneficial Effects of Proanthocyanidins on Intestinal Permeability and Its Relationship with Inflammation

The intestinal barrier is constantly exposed to potentially harmful environmental factors including food components and bacterial endotoxins. When the intestinal barrier function and immune homeostasis are compromised, inflammatory conditions may be developed and impact overall health. Evidence from experimental animal and cell-culture studies suggests that exposure of intestinal mucosa to proanthocyanidin-rich plant products may contribute to maintain the barrier function and to ameliorate the inflammation present in prevalent pathologies such as diet-induced obesity and inflammatory bowel disease. In this review, we aim to update the current knowledge on the bioactivity of PACs in experimental models of altered intestinal permeability and in humans, emphasizing the beneficial effects of grape-seed proanthocyanidin extracts in intestinal health and giving insights into the subjacent biochemical and molecular mechanism.