Quercetin Bromelain

What is bromelain?

Bromelain, a group of pineapple enzymes, was introduced as a therapeutic agent thrty years ago. Since that time over 200 scientific papers on its therapeutic applications have appeared in the medical literature. In many of these studies, bromelain has been shown to be effective in treating a wide variety of conditions including: pancreatic insufficiency; trauma (sports injuries, surgery, etc.); respiratory tract infections; angina; arthritis; painful menstruation; scleroderma; and phlebitis.

What is Quercetin?

Quercetin is a bioflavonoid that typically displays the highest degree of activity of any flavonoid compound in experimental studies. Flavonoids, in general , have been suggested to be "natural biological response modifiers" in such conditions as allergy, asthma, eczema, arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions. This relates to their effects on so many enzyme systems, particularly those involved in allergic/inflammatory responses.

How does Quercetin exhibit anti-allergy/anti-inflammatory action?

Quercetin has been shown to inhibit the release of histamine and other inflammatory mediators from mast cells. These cells are widely distributed throughout the body, but are found in highest concentrations in the lining of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract, the skin, the lining of joints, and the conjuctiva of the tye. These tissues are the usual sites of allergic/inflammatory processes. Mast cells play a major role in the inflammatory response characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, eczema, hay fever, and other allergies. By inhibiting the release of histamine and other inflammatory compounds from mast cells, querceting greatly reduces the allergic/inflammatory response.

Quercetin has further anti-allergy/ anti-inflammatory action due to its potent anti-oxidant activity and its ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds like leukotrienes. These compounds are produced from arachidonic acid, a fatty acid component in our cellular membranes, by the action of the enzymes phospholipase A2 and lipoxygenase. The leukotrienes produced from arachidonic acid are 1000 times more potent in stimulating inflammatory processes than histamine.

Excessive leukotriene formation has been linked to asthma, gout, atopic dermatitis (eczema), psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and possibly cancer. Quercetin significantly reduces leukotriene synthesis by inhibiting both phospholipase A2 and lipoxygenase and therefore may be beneficial in those conditions caused by excessive leukotriene synthesis.

BROMELAIN AS AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENT

Bromelain has demonstrated remarkable anti-inflammatory activity in clincal studies and experimental models. Its mechanism of action appears to be by increaseing the breakdown of fibrin, and the depletion/inhibition of pro-inflammatory compounds. Fibrin's role in the promotion of inflammation is to form a wall aroudn teh area of inflammation is to form a wall around the area of inflammation which results in teh blockage of blood and lymph vessels which leasds to swelling. Some of the inflammatory compounds inhibited by bromelain include kinins and prostaglandins.

Why Bromelain and Quercetin in combination?

Quercetin appears to have a very strong affinity for mast cells as demonstrated in experimental studies in animals. Howedver, querceting is not absorbed well unless it is in combination with a compound like bromelain which has been shown to increase the absorption and tissue concentrations of a variety of compounds. Without the aid of bromelain, quercetin would pass through the gastrointestinal tract mostly unabsorbed or it would be changed to an inactive form by gut bacteria.

Although bromelain and querceting demonstrate remarkable effects on their own, using them in combination as directed greatly increases their therapeutic activity.