Category: flavonoid
Aliases: Epicatechin-(4β→8)-epicatechin, B2 dimer, Proanthocyanidin B2
(−)-Epicatechin-(4β→8)-(−)-epicatechin dimer — the most abundant proanthocyanidin dimer in cocoa. Large and hydrogen-bond-rich: <1% is absorbed intact (plasma low-nM range). The vast majority is depolymerised by colonic microbiota to (−)-epicatechin monomers and then to 5-C-ring-fission metabolites (γ-valerolactones and phenolic acids), which are the dominant circulating species. Flow-mediated-dilation and BP-lowering effects of cocoa are thus primarily mediated by epicatechin conjugates, with procyanidin B2 acting mostly as a precursor pool.
PO: 2h