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What Is OPC?
Oligomeric ProanthoCyanidins (OPC) are found in many plants throughout the plant kingdom with varying degrees of concentration. Dr. Masquelier originally extracted OPC from peanut skins but for large scale production he turned to maritime pine bark (pinus maritima) and later Semillon grape seeds (vitis vinifera) both abundant in Southern France. His process (later patented) selectively extracts OPCs for medicinal use. However, it must be noted that his patented process is not used by common pine bark and grape seed extracts found on the market today. Primary Source uses only Masquelier's Original OPC in its OPC products. Chemically defined: OPC is a flavan-3,4, diol which contains a network of antioxidants, namely: catechins epicatechins gallic acid caffeic acid furulic acid, etc. These are individual molecules, referred to by chemists as "monomers". The special monomers have a high tendency to combine with others into 2s, 3s and 4s, called dimmers, trimers, etc. These are the oligimers, the networked antioxidants, that are so active. These compounds are collectively referred to as flavan-3,4-diols. 
It has been shown that the most bioactive aspect of the OPC compound is due to the activity of the dimers (paired monomers and naturally occurring dimers) which have been shown to be responsible for the "lending and borrowing" of electrons to balance free radicals. OPC uses water molecules to "regenerate" itself and avoid becoming a "pro-oxidant" as other well known antioxidants (such as Vitamin E and C) can. For additional information or a more technical discussion, contact us. |