BiombalanceTM: A specific oligomeric procyanidin-rich grape seed extract as multifunctional ingredient integrating antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities with beneficial gut–brain axis modulation (1)

This second article, resulting from the collaboration between Groupe Berkem and the team (Interactions between probiotic bacteria and the host), is affiliated with the Institute of Chemistry and Biology of Membranes and Nano-objects (CBMN, CNRS, UMR 5248) and with Bordeaux Sciences Agro. The paper explores the properties of Biombalance™, a grape seed extract rich in procyanidolic oligomers (OPCs), which through its antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties can simultaneously act on intestinal health, microbiota modulation and, beyond that, on the gut–brain axis (1).

The first part of the study focused on the effects of Biombalance™ on the growth of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. Biombalance™ effectively inhibits the growth of several pathogens of interest, including Staphylococcus aureus CIP 20256 and Helicobacter pylori P12 and 7.13 (MIC = 1–2 mg/mL for both bacteria), while preserving commensal bacteria that are key to intestinal health, such as Akkermansia muciniphila DSM 22959 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v. The active ingredient therefore has selective antimicrobial activity, inhibiting bacteria that are potentially harmful to health while preserving beneficial bacteria. This prebiotic effect of the ingredient on Lactobacillus groups has been confirmed in vivo in a mouse colitis model (2).

The effects of BiombalanceTM were also tested in a healthy mouse model. The animals were divided into three groups: one group received a control diet without the active ingredient, while the other two groups were fed a diet containing 2.3 or 4.8 mg/day/animal of BiombalanceTM. After three weeks, ileal gene expression analysis showed that the ingredient significantly increased expression of genes involved in intestinal barrier function homeostasis, including occludin at the lowest dose and zonula occludens-1 and claudin at the highest dose. It also decreased expression of genes involved in inflammation, such as IL-6 at the highest dose. In the liver, the extract modulated the expression of genes associated with inflammation and oxidative stress, such as IL-10, an anti-inflammatory marker, at the highest dose, and superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant marker, at the lowest dose.

In this healthy model, BiombalanceTM also modulated key players in the gut–brain axis. The expression of neuropeptide Y was increased in the ileum and colon in a dose-dependent manner.

Another key player in the gut–brain axis showed a significant increase in expression in response to BiombalanceTM: GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and its receptor. GLP-1 is an essential incretin hormone that regulates glycaemic homeostasis, appetite, intestinal motility and intestinal barrier integrity.

The observed effects of BiombalanceTM on GLP-1 expression are promising and suggest that modulation of the gut–brain axis by a natural prebiotic could offer many possibilities for future applications.

Finally, the effects of Biombalance™ are also evident through the stimulation of the growth of certain bacterial groups such as Desulfovibrio, intestinal bacteria involved in glutamate degradation. This metabolic degradation is particularly disrupted in obese individuals, but it can also accumulate due to a diet rich in glutamate. It has recently been shown that excess glutamate in the intestine can be correlated with neuroinflammatory effects and may promote mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases (3).

The multifaceted nature of BiombalanceTM has been highlighted once again in this study. The studies showed a dual effect on bacteria, with both a direct antimicrobial effect on major pathogens and the restoration of intestinal balance. Furthermore, the active ingredient acts not only on bacterial composition, but also on markers of oxidative stress, intestinal inflammation pathways and neuroactive metabolites. For the first time, a grape seed extract has been shown to activate the GLP-1 pathway and support gut–brain communication. However, further studies are needed to confirm this last point.

This study highlights the multifaceted effects of BiombalanceTM as a bioactive ingredient capable of inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori and Staphylococcus aureus, favourably modulating the gut microbiota and microbiome, and influencing key metabolic pathways in the gut–brain axis, particularly through increased GLP-1 signalling.

References

Mokrani M, Brochot A, Urdaci MC. BiombalanceTM: A Specific Oligomeric Procyanidin-Rich Grape Seed Extract as Multifunctional Ingredient Integrating Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities with Beneficial Gut–Brain Axis Modulation. Antioxidants. 2025;14(12):1484.

Mokrani M, Saad N, Nardy L, Sifré E, Despres J, Brochot A, et al. Biombalance™, an Oligomeric Procyanidins-Enriched Grape Seed Extract, Prevents Inflammation and Microbiota Dysbiosis in a Mice Colitis Model. Antioxidants. 2025;14(3).

Boyko M, Gruenbaum BF, Oleshko A, Merzlikin I, Zlotnik A. Diet’s Impact on Post-Traumatic Brain Injury Depression: Exploring Neurodegeneration, Chronic Blood–Brain Barrier Destruction, and Glutamate Neurotoxicity Mechanisms. Nutrients. 2023;15(21):4681.
 

Read the entire white paper here.