Sara Coleman

Citation

Thesis Title
Dimeric Procyanidins as Modulators of Airway Inflammation in the context of Allergic Asthma

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Procyanidins are polyphenolic compounds known to be biologically active in the context of human health. Epidemiological evidence suggests that populations that consume diets rich in procyanidins are less susceptible to inflammatory diseases. Allergic asthma is an inflammatory lung disease with an estimated 100 million affected individuals worldwide. Inflammation at the airway epithelium and infiltration of immune cells, specifically eosinophils (white blood cells), into the lung tissue are two central characteristics of allergic asthma. Eotaxin-1 (CCL11) and eotaxin-3 (CCL26) are two biomarkers of airway inflammation produced by the lung epithelium. Investigation of the effect of procyanidins on epithelial eotaxin production suggests that A-type linked procyanidin A2, but not B-type linked procyanidin B1 or B2, is capable of inhibiting cytokine-induced eotaxin production when incubated on A549 lung epithelial cells prior to an inflammatory insult. Ms Coleman's research supports further investigation of procyanidin A2 as a preventative approach for managing airway inflammation.

Supervisors
Professor Marlena Kruger
Dr Roger Hurst
Dr Gregory Sawyer