Quercetin, but Not Epicatechin, Decreases Plasma Concentrations of Methylglyoxal in Adults in a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial with Pure Flavonoids

Methylglyoxal (MGO) is the most potent precursor of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). MGO and AGEs have been associated with diabetes, its complications, and other age-related diseases. Experimental studies have shown that the flavonoids quercetin and epicatechin are able to scavenge MGO and lower AGE formation. Data on the effects of these flavonoids on MGO and AGE concentrations in humans are not yet available. We therefore investigated the effect of quercetin and epicatechin on the concentrations of MGO and AGEs in a post hoc analysis. Thirty-seven apparently healthy, nonsmoking adults with a systolic blood pressure between 125 and 160 mm Hg at screening were included in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. Participants ingested (−)-epicatechin (100 mg/d), quercetin 3-glucoside (160 mg/d), or placebo capsules for periods of 4 wk separated by 4-wk washout periods. Fasting blood samples were collected at the start and end of each intervention period. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine plasma concentrations of the dicarbonyl compounds MGO, glyoxal (GO), and 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG) and free and protein-bound AGEs. Gene expression of glyoxalase 1 (GLO1), the enzyme involved in the degradation of MGO, was determined by either microarray or quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction. The treatment effect (Δtreatment − Δplacebo) of quercetin on MGO was −40.2 nmol/L (95% CI: −73.6, −6.8 nmol/L; P = 0.019), a decrease of 11% from baseline values, whereas GO, 3-DG, and free and protein-bound AGEs did not change significantly. Epicatechin did not affect the concentrations of dicarbonyls and free and protein-bound AGEs. We did not find a significant change in expression of GLO1. In apparently healthy (pre)hypertensive men and women, quercetin but not epicatechin decreased plasma MGO concentrations. Quercetin may potentially form a new treatment strategy for diseases in which MGO plays a pivotal role. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01691404.