04.01.09
Legendary French scientist Jack Masquelier, a pioneer in the fields of phytochemistry and human health, died February 24 at the age of 86. Sixty years ago, Dr. Masquelier published his doctorate thesis on the successful isolation and chemical description of the phytonutrients known today as oligomeric proanthocyanidins, or OPCs. That same year he filed a patent for the industrial method of producing the first botanical product based on OPCs. His early findings that OPCs strengthen and protect blood vessels and vascular function set in motion a series of independent clinical studies by other scientists that provided conclusive support for the use of OPC compounds in French vasculo-protective medicines. In 1985 Dr. Masquelier also discovered that OPCs neutralize free radicals.