If you want a little chemistry lesson, pterostilbene has two methoxy groups a methyl — or CH3 — bound to oxygen instead of hydroxy groups, which resveratrol has. This makes it more "lipophilic" fat-loving than trans-resveratrol , and it passes through cell membranes more easily, which is to say it's more bioavailable.
A study on how these two stilbenes affected mice models concluded that pterostilbene helps brain health more than resveratrol. While we don't yet know whether these specific findings apply to people in the same way, it sheds light on how the compound might work.
Pterostilbene is emerging as a major player in anti-aging, heart health, memory building , and boosting overall health. Here are nine reasons to consider adding pterostilbene foods or supplements to your daily regime. Experiments suggest that pterostilbene offers several important benefits. First and foremost, pterostilbene acts as a powerful antioxidant. Oxidative stress happens when your cells get overwhelmed by things that cause oxidation — think of how an avocado or apple turns brown when exposed to oxygen — that's oxidation!
Antioxidants counteract oxidation inside the body, keeping your cells fresh and healthy. According to studies, pterostilbene promotes normal blood sugar levels. When your body experiences wild blood sugar swings, cells may become insulin-resistant, ultimately leading to metabolic syndrome or diabetes.
Numerous studies have found that consuming blueberries and other berries — potent sources of pterostilbene — supports already-healthy blood sugar.
At the end of the study, 67 percent of the participants had normal glucose levels. Researchers have been especially interested in pterostilbene due to its effects on aging. Trans-pterostilbene is a bioactive chemical which supports cognitive health, promotes normal blood sugar, and soothes irritation.
According to the study, pterostilbene supports normal aging by mimicking the effects of calorie restriction or fasting , which have powerful health-stimulating effects. Pterostilbene — and calorie restriction — trigger the body to release adiponectin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and fatty acid metabolism. Pterostilbene also supports your telomeres, which are the protective caps at the ends of a DNA strand.
Telomeres naturally start to break down as you age. Amazingly, pterostilbene strengthens the enzymes that protect your telomeres.
As you age, you may become forgetful, or feel like your brain has lost a little bit of its edge. Although this is a natural part of life, you can take actions to help your brain age normally.
Taking pterostilbene supplements or eating pterostilbene-rich foods are two effective strategies. Studies have found that pterostilbene supports healthy motor function, cognition, and memory at "diet-achievable" amounts.
In other words, it helps aging progress normally, keeping your brain and nerve cells healthy and strong. Used for centuries in Indian and Chinese medicine to protect heart health, scientists have since found evidence to back up this ancient use.
Specifically, pterostilbene promotes normal levels of high-density lipoproteins HDL or "good" cholesterol and platelet aggregation, which supports cardiovascular health. Pterostilbene appears to bind to PPAR peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, stimulating the production of the compound. PPAR plays an important role in supporting healthy cholesterol and lipid fat levels in your blood, such as triglycerides.
Similar to resveratrol , pterostilbene is anti-carcinogenic. A review of several studies suggests that it may be an effective anti-cancer agent based on its antineoplastic properties—the ability to prevent, inhibit, or halt the development of a tumor. It seems to exert its anti-cancer benefits in a few different ways: by altering the cell cycle, inducing apoptosis or cell death , and inhibiting metastasis the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another.
Some animal and human cell studies suggest that pterostilbene may offer protection against breast cancer , colon cancer , pancreatic cancer , and prostate cancer cells. Just remember to always talk to your doctor before starting any supplement, especially if you have a chronic or serious health condition.
Pterostilbene seems to offer neuroprotective benefits due to its antioxidant activity, which helps prevent oxidative stress in the brain.
In one study on mice, researchers concluded that pterostilbene may help preserve cognitive function and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, in part by reducing inflammation. Regular consumption of blueberries, the most potent natural source of pterostilbene, has also been associated with slower rates of cognitive decline. Berries also contain flavonoid antioxidants called anthocyanins, which likely play an important role in brain and overall health.
Pterostilbene may improve overall cardiovascular health. In a clinical trial on 80 patients with high cholesterol, those who took mg of pterostilbene twice a day experienced significant reductions in blood pressure a 7.
The participants who weren't on cholesterol-lowering medication also experienced minor weight loss. Several animal studies have found that supplementing with pterostilbene lowers blood glucose levels, which suggests that this antioxidant may play a role in protecting against diabetes and improving insulin sensitivity. Some researchers speculate that pterostilbene acts in a similar way to the antidiabetic drug metformin.
One proposed mechanism for regulating blood sugar is that pterostilbene reduces oxidative stress in the liver and kidneys. Photo: OlgaLepeshkina. In addition to blueberries, pterostilbene food sources include other deeply hued berries such as cranberries, bilberries, lingonberries, huckleberries, and red grapes. Berries are also a great source of fiber, which is important for balanced blood sugar, heart health, and gut health. Other plant sources of pterostilbene do exist, but they're not necessarily edible.
Several plants that contain pterostilbene are used in ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine as natural remedies for a variety of health conditions. These include bark from the kino tree also called heartwood , which is used to promote healthy blood sugar and weight loss; a shrub called " ku ma du " that's used for the treatment of hypertension; and Chinese rhubarb, or " da huang ," used to treat digestive disorders.
Given the exciting benefits described above, reaching for a pterostilbene supplement may seem like a no-brainer. But before you do, understand that studies haven't fully evaluated the safety of taking them long term. However, from the few studies that have been done on humans, these supplements appear to be safe.
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Note that each number in parentheses [1, 2, 3, etc. Does science back up the hype? What are the limitations and risks? Find out here. Pterostilbene is an antioxidant found in many plants, including almonds, grape leaves and vines , blueberries and related Vaccinium berries , peanuts , dracaena plants , and Indian kino. Both trans-pterostilbene and cis-pterostilbene are found in nature , though the trans form is more stable [ 8 , 9 , 10 ].
The word pterostilbene alone , without a modifier , refers to the trans form by default. The cis form will always be called cis-pterostilbene [ 11 , 12 ]. Pterostilbene is part of a class of compounds called phytoalexins: in plants, these compounds defend against microbes and parasites. It is very similar to a better-known phytoalexin antioxidant, resveratrol. However, pterostilbene is about four times easier to absorb from the gut into the body; in theory, that could make it multiple times more effective than resveratrol, but this has yet to be confirmed in any formal study [ 13 , 14 , 15 ].
Pterostilbene has produced positive results for weight loss in at least one study, but larger and more robust studies are required to confirm its effectiveness. Furthermore, the FDA has not approved pterostilbene for any medical purpose or health claim, and there is no guarantee of the quality of any given supplement. Talk to your doctor before supplementing with pterostilbene. In a study of middle-aged people with high cholesterol, those who were not taking cholesterol medication lost a small, but significant, amount of weight while supplementing with pterostilbene.
This result was somewhat surprising, as this study was not designed to measure pterostilbene as a weight loss aid. This result has not yet been investigated in a separate study [ 16 ]. Cell and animal studies also suggest that pterostilbene may help improve insulin sensitivity.
Pterostilbene blocks the conversion of sugars into fats and prevents fat cells from multiplying [ 17 , 18 ]. Pterostilbene may also change the composition of the gut flora, the colonies of microbes that live in the intestine and help digest food.
Rats fed pterostilbene had healthier gut flora , including a significant increase in Akkermansia muciniphila , a species of bacteria that appears to prevent obesity, diabetes, and low-grade inflammation. No clinical evidence supports the use of pterostilbene for any of the conditions listed in this section.
Below is a summary of the existing animal and cell-based research, which should guide further investigational efforts. However, the studies listed below should not be interpreted as supportive of any health benefit.
In mice, pterostilbene reduced anxiety and improved mood. In a study of aged rats, a diet high in pterostilbene increased dopamine and improved cognition.
In another rat study, pterostilbene also promoted the growth of new cells in the hippocampus, the emotion and memory center of the brain.
Plus, when stem cells from young rat brains were exposed to pterostilbene, they grew faster [ 24 ]. This same rat study found that pterostilbene was a more powerful antioxidant than its close relative resveratrol. Multiple studies have confirmed that pterostilbene protects against oxidative stress in brain cells [ 23 , 25 ]. According to cell research, pterostilbene blocks monoamine oxidase B MAO-B and increases available dopamine in the brain.
Multiple animal studies suggest that pterostilbene may increase insulin production and thereby decrease blood sugar. In diabetic mice, pterostilbene protected the pancreas from damage and restored the production of sugar-metabolism enzymes in the liver. These effects are strong enough that some researchers compared pterostilbene to metformin , a diabetes medication [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. No human studies have specifically focused on the interaction between pterostilbene and blood glucose.
More research is likely to emerge in the coming years [ 14 ]. In a rat study, pterostilbene significantly improved the symptoms and cellular markers of severe acute pancreatitis, a disease caused by pancreas inflammation.
In people, this disease can cause many complications, including death, and there is no reliable treatment. Pterostilbene may support people suffering from severe acute pancreatitis and improve survival rates [ 33 , 34 ]. The overall evidence suggests that pterostilbene possesses potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic properties ideal for the eradication of cancerous colon cells.
The antioxidant properties of pterostilbene may help to explain how blueberry consumption contributes to reduced risk of colon cancer in humans. Pterostilbene's modulation of antioxidant activity may also facilitate anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic mechanisms that confer clinical benefits in inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal malignancies.
Additional studies are warranted to investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of pterostilbene in diseases of the colon. Hemolytic disorders include a broad spectrum of hereditary and acquired conditions that range from mild to severe clinical outcomes [ 50 ].
Hemolytic anemias, irrespective of etiology, are exacerbated by exposure to ROS, which produces both internal and external damage to red blood cells RBCs , accelerating the process of hemolysis.
Studies have shown that ROS-induced hemolysis is a modifiable event that can be alleviated with antioxidant treatment [ 51 ]. Specifically, treatments with blueberry extract and pterostilbene have been shown to protect RBCs against ROS-induced hemolysis indicating a possible therapeutic effect in the treatment of hemolytic anemia.
Youdim and colleagues conducted experiments both in vitro and in vivo to assess the antioxidant capacity of blueberry-derived polyphenolic components in vulnerable RBCs [ 51 ]. The results of experiments performed in vitro show that low-bush blueberry treatment reduced rates of ROS formation at 6 and 24 hours after H 2 O 2 treatment in a time- and concentration-dependent manner.
In vivo , oral blueberry supplementation produced significant inhibition of H 2 O 2 -induced ROS formation at 6 and 24 hours similar to the results obtained in vitro. Serum analysis of blueberry fed rats revealed detectable levels of anthocyanins present at 1- and 6-hour intervals but not at 24 hours, indicating a short-term protective effect. The relationship between antioxidant activity and ROS-induced RBC damage was further explored by Mikstacka and colleagues that studied the antioxidant effects of pterostilbene in RBCs that were treated with 2,2-azobis 2-amidinopropane dihydrochloride AAPH , a known free radical generator that causes OS in RBCs leading to hemolysis [ 52 ].
Moreover, pterostilbene treatment was found to inhibit H 2 O 2 -induced lipid peroxidation, an initiator of OS that produces autoxidation in RBCs [ 53 ]. It has been postulated that blueberries and its component pterostilbene protect RBCs against OS by scavenging H 2 O 2 , altering the harmful effects of ROS and increasing antioxidant activity.
The short-term benefits of pterostilbene are observable in RBCs up to 24 hours but long-term effects have not been studied. Currently, it is undetermined whether oral supplementation with blueberries or pterostilbene is able to prevent hemolytic episodes in humans. Future research is needed to elucidate the antioxidant enhancing mechanisms of pterostilbene and prevention of hemolysis in clinical trials.
Chronic liver disease CLD is an end-stage process that results from conditions like Wilson's disease, hemochromatosis, and primary biliary cirrhosis, in addition to infection, alcoholism, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis NASH [ 54 ].
The pathogenesis of CLD is complex but follows a consistent model of progression from acute hepatic cellular injury to apoptosis, necrosis, inflammation, and irreversible fibrosis that can culminate in cancer [ 54 ]. In experimental studies, OS is a common mediator in the progression of hepatic injury to sustained inflammation and fibrosis regardless of disease etiology.
For example, studies have shown that models of CLD due to viral hepatitis, NASH, alcoholism, and excess deposition of copper or iron, all share common pathways of increased OS combined with reduced antioxidant capacity [ 54 ]. The combined effect of increased OS and reduced antioxidant capacity is deleterious because it potentiates and amplifies structural damage in a time-dependent manner leading to permanent cellular and parenchymal hepatic impairment.
Wang and colleagues administered blueberry juice to rats with CCl 4 -induced hepatic fibrosis and found an increase in the expression of the transcription factor, NF-E2-related factor 2 Nrf-2 , and its downstream target, the antioxidant enzyme NADPH quinone oxidoreductase Nqo1 , which are central to hepatic stellate cell cytoprotection [ 55 ]. Levels of hyaluronic acid HA and alanine aminotransferase ALT , two markers of acute hepatocyte injury, were also significantly decreased in blueberry treated rats.
The study findings are consistent with results from a previous study, which found that blueberry juice increased expression of Nrf-2, Nqo1, and HO-1 [ 56 ]. Additional key findings included decreased lipid peroxidation measured by MDA levels and decreased myeloperoxidase MPO , a marker of neutrophil-derived inflammation [ 57 ].
Treatment with blueberries also inhibited proliferation of hepatic cancer cells which was demonstrated by Schmidt et al.
The cumulative evidence suggests that blueberry supplementation regulates hepatic cell dysfunction through alteration of various anti-oxidative, ant-inflammatory, and antiproliferative mechanisms. Protection against hepatic cellular dysfunction has also been demonstrated by pterostilbene, which has been shown to thwart cellular dysfunction by inhibiting H 2 O 2 -induced inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication GJIC , a key facilitator of hepatic tumorigenesis [ 59 ].
Kim and colleagues found that pretreatment with pterostilbene at doses of 0. Pterostilbene's antioxidant effect was found to correlate with repression of an established carcinogenic pathway, making it a potentially advantageous agent for hepatic tumor suppression.
Experiments conducted by Hasiah and colleagues found that antioxidant effects of pterostilbene were present in both cancerous and noncancerous hepatic cells [ 60 ]. Treatment with 6. Pterostilbene also decreased cell viability of HepG2 cells that is consistent with its properties as an anticancer agent. The findings suggest that pterostilbene's antioxidant activity is beneficial to normal cells but antagonistic to the growth of cancerous cells.
Pan and colleagues demonstrated antimetastasis effects of pterostilbene using aO-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate- TPA- induced metastasis model in vitro and in vivo [ 61 ]. The results of the study found that pterostilbene treatment significantly inhibited TPA-induced vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF , epidermal growth factor EGF , and MMP activity in vitro and in vivo, without producing significant toxicity in rodents.
The research findings demonstrate pterostilbene's potential as an antimetastasis agent, and future studies may assess whether the anti-metastatic properties of pterostilbene are applicable to human cases of hepatoma as well.
Overall, blueberries and pterostilbene exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic effects in models of CLD and liver cancer. The compound may afford clinical protection in a broad range of benign and malignant liver conditions through amelioration of OS and related hepatocyte pathology.
Further research should focus upon the medicinal impact of pterostilbene in the management of CLD. The etiology and pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer is multifactorial and involves various genetic and environmental components. It has been postulated that pancreatic cancer results from an accumulation of multiple genetic mutations making it a highly chemoresistant disease with low rates of survival [ 62 ].
Despite extensive scientific efforts, an efficacious strategy for prevention and cure of pancreatic cancer remains elusive. Several studies have shown that pterostilbene inhibits pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo through mechanisms of mitochondrially derived apoptosis, modification of transcription factors, and inhibition of proliferation [ 63 , 64 ].
Further experiments demonstrated that pterostilbene induced upregulation of MnSOD at the genomic level which translated into downstream increased enzymatic activity [ 64 ]. Pterostilbene's ability to increase antioxidant activity by altering expression and enzymatic activity of MnSOD contributes to its credence as an anticancer agent because numerous studies show that pancreatic cancer cells have decreased expression of MnSOD when compared to normal cells and overexpression of MnSOD correlates with decreased pancreatic tumor volume [ 65 — 68 ].
In experiments conducted by Kostin et al. In addition to inhibiting pancreatic cancer, recent research found that pterostilbene ameliorated inflammation and acinar damage in pancreatitis in vitro [ 70 ]. The collective findings indicate pterostilbene's clinical relevance in the treatment of pancreatic disease. Further studies are warranted to examine the mechanisms involved in pterostilbene-induced antioxidant activity and inhibition of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer in clinical trials.
Diabetes mellitus DM is a disease that consists of ineffective insulin regulation leading to derangements in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism [ 71 ]. Over recent decades, the incidence of DM has increased worldwide due to sedentary lifestyle and the rising epidemic of obesity [ 72 ]. Lifestyle modification is one strategy employed to treat DM and associated complications; however, failure to respond to lifestyle modification is an indication for medical treatment [ 71 ].
Unfortunately, treatment with medical agents may have significant side effects, and multiple adjustments may become necessary to achieve positive clinical results. Therefore, the pursuit of new medical agents with minimal side effects remains an enviable option for the successful treatment of DM.
The heartwood of the plant Pterocarpus marsupium PM has been shown to exhibit antiglycemic properties in multiple studies. In a study performed by Grover et al. The authors hypothesized that PM treatment would counteract the metabolic side effects of a high-fructose diet by mitigating hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and hypertriglycemia.
Results of the study show that rats fed high-fructose diets combined with PM treatment had lower levels of hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglycemia, and complete prevention of hyperglycemia. It has been hypothesized that the antiglycemic properties possessed by PM are attributed to pterostilbene. Further studies were conducted by Pari and Satheesh evaluating the antiglycemic effects of pterostilbene in combination with its antioxidant effect in rodent models of STZ-induced DM [ 75 , 76 ].
It was also discovered that pterostilbene treatment reduced glycosylated hemoglobin HbA1c , a marker of chronic hyperglycemia, and decreased expression of the gluconeogenic enzymes glucosephosphatase and fructose-1, 6-biphosphatase.
In addition, pterostilbene increased expression of the glycolytic enzyme hexokinase. One proposed mechanism for the antidiabetic effects exerted by pterostilbene is reduction of OS, which plays a critical role in aberrant glucose regulation.
Satheesh and Pari hypothesized that pterostilbene treatment in diabetic rats would increase antioxidant activity and lessen the impact of OS on kidney and liver cells [ 76 ]. Results of the experiments show that DM control rats exhibited marked increases in TBARS and HP in liver and kidney tissue that was subsequently inhibited by pterostilbene treatment [ 76 ].
HP expression in liver and kidney was also significantly decreased by pterostilbene treatment by Moreover, histopathological examination of the livers of pterostilbene treated DM rats did not show inflammation compared to the DM controls, which exhibited significant portal triad inflammation. Examination of diabetic rat kidneys revealed glomeruli mesangial capillary proliferation with tubular epithelial damage that was significantly reduced in DM rats treated with pterostilbene.
Comparable antioxidant and histopathological results were observed in DM rats treated with metformin suggesting that pterostilbene may harbor clinically significant metabolic properties. The reported antioxidant and antihyperglycemic activities of pterostilbene may confer a protective effect against complications in poorly controlled DM patients by preventing hyperglycemia and associated liver and kidney damage.
The exact relationship between antioxidant activity and glucose regulation induced by pterostilbene treatment has not been elucidated; however, it is postulated that pterostilbene increases antioxidant activity leading to improved glucose metabolism.
Increased antioxidant activity produced by pterostilbene may improve tissue resilience against hyperglycemia-generated ROS and prevent end-organ damage. The human applicability of pterostilbene's antidiabetic effects is still unknown. Nemes-Nagy et al. It is possible that such results are attributable to the antioxidant activity of pterostilbene; however, additional studies are needed to identify the blueberry-derived mediator and investigate a plausible association with pterostilbene.
In addition to mitigating hyperglycemia, pterostilbene in vitro and in vivo has shown benefits in models of lipid metabolism. In 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, pterostilbene treatment decreased cell population growth, fat droplet formation, and triacylglycerol accumulation [ 78 ].
Furthermore, pterostilbene demonstrated antiobesity properties by upregulating adiponectin and downregulating leptin, indicating an antilipogenic effect [ 79 ]. Expression of adiponectin negatively correlates with body mass index BMI , glucose, insulin, and triacylglycerol levels in comparison to leptin, which positively correlates with adipocyte size, lipid content, and BMI.
Such findings are significant because derangements of glucose metabolism often accompany hyperlipidemia in diabetics and those diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Ultimately, the glucose and lipid-lowering effects of the dietary compound pterostilbene may contribute to its clinical potential for prevention or treatment of diabetes.
Further research is necessary to establish pterostilbene's risk-reducing and therapeutic effects in DM individuals. The aging process in humans is associated with acquired deficiencies in cognition and motor function. The process is oftentimes innocuous; however, in certain neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease AD , the effects of aging are pathological and accelerated leading to rapid and permanent neurological decline [ 80 ].
Increased OS due to progressive declines in antioxidant activity is a proposed mechanism of age-related neurological deterioration in older adults [ 81 , 82 ]. Several studies show that consumption of berries rich in antioxidants may effectively thwart neurological deterioration associated with aging [ 83 , 84 ]. In an experiment conducted by Joseph et al.
Bickford and colleagues examined the effect of blueberry supplementation upon antioxidant activity in aged rats along with corresponding neurological pathways and behavioral outcomes [ 86 ].
Furthermore, such changes correlate with impaired performance of motor learning and coordination. Bickford and colleagues found evidence that blueberry-fed aged rats had significant improvements in GABA potentiation and increased GSH compared to aged controls. In addition, blueberry-fed aged rats performed rod-running motor tasks at a faster pace compared to controls.
The reported findings show that blueberries contain a compound that is capable of increasing GSH antioxidant activity and cerebellar Purkinje cell GABA potentiation resulting in enhanced psychomotor performance in aged rats. Comparable findings were obtained by Malin and colleagues who demonstrated that aged rats maintained on a 1- or 2-month blueberry diet showed significantly higher object memory recognition compared to control rats [ 87 ].
The cognitive benefits were seen after termination of the blueberry intervention diet where the 2-month blueberry diet had a longer benefit compared to the 1-month diet suggesting a time-dependent neuroprotective benefit. Pathologic examination of the cerebellum, cortex, and hippocampal regions of blueberry fed rats that revealed significant expression of blueberry-derived polyphenolic compounds in regions important for learning and memory assessed the impact of blueberry supplementation on brain tissue [ 88 ].
The findings suggest that blueberry-derived compounds exert neuroprotective effects by crossing the blood brain barrier and altering central nervous system signals.
The study results found that accumulation of polyphenolic compounds in the cortex correlated with Morris water maze MWM performance, which indicates a possible risk-reducing relationship between blueberry-derived polyphenolic compounds and memory and spatial learning abilities. Furthermore, in experiments performed by Casadesus et al. The beneficial effects of blueberries in the modulation of neurological function may also be applicable to clinical conditions such as stroke and AD.
In a study conducted by Sweeney et al. The neuroprotective effects of a blueberry-enriched diet are numerous, and several studies have sought to identify and explain the blueberry-derived compound responsible for the multiple modulatory effects of blueberry supplementation in animal models. To determine whether pterostilbene was involved in neuroprotective outcomes, Joseph and colleagues treated aged rats with low 0.
The study results show that pterostilbene fed aged rats performed better on cognitive and motor tasks compared to controls in a dose-dependent manner. Specifically, aged rats treated with pterostilbene had higher level MWM performance, which was similarly shown in a blueberry supplementation study conducted by Andres-Lacueva and colleagues [ 88 ].
The study findings suggest that pterostilbene may be involved in modulation of neural plasticity and associated cognitive and motor functions. Furthermore, Joseph et al. Subsequent pathological examination of hippocampal samples found detectable levels of pterostilbene in high dose fed rats but did not reveal detectable levels in low dose fed animals.
Hippocampal levels of pterostilbene correlated with working memory performance that suggests that improvements in neurological function may be directly related to pterostilbene consumption. In a study performed by Chang and colleagues, the antioxidant potential of pterostilbene was examined in the accelerated aging mouse model SAMP8 to determine a possible relationship between the antioxidant capacity of pterostilbene and neurological markers of disease [ 91 ].
Overall, the antioxidant capacity of pterostilbene has significant effects upon neurological function that may translate into clinical benefits in human subjects. The free radical theory of aging claims that ROSs are involved in the pathogenesis of age-related neurological decline. Moreover, several studies suggest that AD results from decreased activity in major antioxidant defense systems and subsequent increased vulnerability to OS [ 80 , 81 ].
Additional research is needed to evaluate clinical outcomes associated with pterostilbene treatment in AD and other severe forms of dementia. Epidemiological trials have shown an association between poor diets and increased risk of prostate cancer [ 97 ].
Consumption of dietary antioxidants is thought to reduce prostate cancer risk in some men by reducing inflammation and OS [ 97 ]. Specifically, blueberry juice was shown to inhibit proliferation and regulate cell cycle dysfunction in prostate cancer cells [ 16 , 17 , 58 ]. It has been postulated that the anticarcinogenic effect of blueberries in prostate cancer is predominantly a result of the anticancer mechanisms of pterostilbene.
Studies show that pterostilbene treatment inhibits prostate cancer proliferation and reduces metastatic potential. In p53 wildtype prostate cancer cells, pterostilbene prevented cell cycle progression at the G1 phase by inducing p53 expression and upregulating p21 expression maintaining tight control of proliferation; however, in p53 negative PC3 cells, pterostilbene induced apoptosis [ 94 ].
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