Polydatin: a review of pharmacology and pharmacokinetics

Context: Polydatin, also named piceid (3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene-3-β-d-glucoside, PD), is a monocrystalline compound isolated from Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc. (Polygonaceae), but is also detected in grape, peanut, hop cones, red wines, hop pellets, cocoa-containing products, chocolate products and many daily diets. There are numerous investigations reported of PD in the past 22 years, but they are usually scattered across various publications, which may block further research and clinical use of PD.

Objective: The article summarizes and evaluates the published scientific information of PD pharmacological effects and pharmacokinetics since 1990.

Materials and methods: The information from 98 cases included in this review was compiled using major databases such as MEDLINE, Elsevier, Springer, PubMed, Scholar and CNKI.

Results: Numerous pharmacological investigations of PD mainly focus on cardiovascular effects, neuroprotection, anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effects, anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, liver and lung protection, etc.

Conclusion: A great number of pharmacological and pharmacokinetic investigations in the past 22 years have demonstrated that PD has favorable therapeutic properties, indicating its potential as an effective material. However, further research is needed to explore its molecular mechanisms of action and definitive target proteins.