A Citrus and Pomegranate Complex Reduces Methylglyoxal in Healthy Elderly Subjects: Secondary Analysis of a Double-Blind Randomized Cross-Over Clinical Trial

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 24; no. 17; p. 13168
• Main Authors: Bednarska, Katarzyna, Fecka, Izabela, Scheijen, Jean L. J. M., Ahles, Sanne, Vangrieken, Philippe, Schalkwijk, Casper G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 24.08.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Citrus; Citrus fruits; Clinical trials; Communication; Diabetes; Dietary supplements; Double-blind studies; Flavonoids; Glucose; Mass spectrometry; Metabolism; Metabolites; Oxidative stress; Physiology; Polyphenols; Netherlands
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713168

Reactive α-dicarbonyls (α-DCs), such as methylglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO), and 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), are potent precursors in the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). In particular, MGO and MGO-derived AGEs are thought to be involved in the development of vascular complications in diabetes. Experimental studies showed that citrus and pomegranate polyphenols can scavenge α-DCs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a citrus and pomegranate complex (CPC) on the α-DCs plasma levels in a double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial, where thirty-six elderly subjects were enrolled. They received either 500 mg of Citrus sinensis peel extract and 200 mg of Punica granatum concentrate in CPC capsules or placebo capsules for 4 weeks, with a 4-week washout period in between. For the determination of α-DCs concentrations, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was used. Following four weeks of CPC supplementation, plasma levels of MGO decreased by 9.8% (−18.7 nmol/L; 95% CI: −36.7, −0.7 nmol/L; p = 0.042). Our findings suggest that CPC supplementation may represent a promising strategy for mitigating the conditions associated with MGO involvement. This study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03781999.