Pycnogenol® and Ginkgo biloba extract: effect on peroxynitrite-oxidized sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase

The effect of two natural standardized plant extracts, Pycnogenol® and EGb 761, on sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) activity and posttranslational modifications induced by peroxynitrite was investigated to assess their possible protective role. EGb 761 was found to have a protective effect on SERCA activity in the concentration range of 5–40 µg/ml. On the other hand, Pycnogenol® caused a decrease of SERCA activity at concentrations of 25 µg/ml. EGb 761 did not prevent protein carbonyl formation upon oxidation with peroxynitrite. On the contrary, Pycnogenol® at the concentrations of 5 and 10 µg/ml significantly decreased the level of protein carbonyls by 44% and 54%, respectively. Neither Pycnogenol® nor EGb 761 exerted a protective effect against thiol group oxidation.The plant extracts studied modulated peroxynitrite-injured SERCA activity by different ways and failed to correlate with posttranslational modifications. Their effect seems to be associated with their ability to change SERCA conformation rather than by their antioxidant capacity

Flavonoids in prevention of diseases with respect to modulation of Ca-pump function

Flavonoids, natural phenolic compounds, are known as agents with strong antioxidant properties. In many diseases associated with oxidative/nitrosative stress and aging they provide multiple biological health benefits. Ca2+-ATPases belong to the main calcium regulating proteins involved in the balance of calcium homeostasis, which is impaired in oxidative/nitrosative stress and related diseases or aging. The mechanisms of Ca2+-ATPases dysfunction are discussed, focusing on cystein oxidation and tyrosine nitration. Flavonoids act not only as antioxidants but are also able to bind directly to Ca2+-ATPases, thus changing their conformation, which results in modulation of enzyme activity