Abstract
Resveratrol is a polyphenol that plays a potentially important role in many disorders and has been studied in different diseases. The research on this chemical started through the “French paradox,” which describes improved cardiovascular outcomes despite a high-fat diet in French people. Since then, resveratrol has been broadly studied and shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and anti-angiogenic effects, with those on oxidative stress possibly being most important and underlying some of the others, but many signaling pathways are among the molecular targets of resveratrol. In concert they may be beneficial in many disorders, particularly in diseases where oxidative stress plays an important role. The main focus of this review will be the pathways affected by resveratrol. Based on these mechanistic considerations, the involvement of resveratrol especially in cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and possibly in longevity will be is addressed.
Highlights
The “French paradox” is a term that was generated in 1992 based on epidemiological data from French people who had a low incidence of coronary heart diseases (CHD) despite the consumption of a diet in high saturated fat
This prompted researchers to think about a possible reason, and led Renaud and de Lorgeril (1992) to propose that moderate wine consumption explained this apparent discrepancy, and further suggesting that a decrease in platelet aggregation may be the main factor of the effect on CHD
The effect of resveratrol on early signaling cascades in rat aortic Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) triggered by ANG II and epidermal growth factor (EGF) was investigated and the results showed that resveratrol does not influence ANG II-mediated transactivation of EGF-receptor but potently inhibits EGF-induced phosphorylation of Akt kinase, suggesting that resveratrol acts downstream of EGF-receptor transactivation in VSMCs (Haider et al, 2005)
Summary
The “French paradox” is a term that was generated in 1992 based on epidemiological data from French people who had a low incidence of coronary heart diseases (CHD) despite the consumption of a diet in high saturated fat. The expression of eNOS protein and the production of eNOSderived NO were increased after long-term incubation with resveratrol This stimulation of eNOS expression and activity may contribute to the cardiovascular protective effects attributed to resveratrol (Wallerath et al, 2002). Low to moderate wine intake was shown to decrease the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases in a study involving almost 25,000 Danish subjects (Gronbaek et al, 1995). Resveratrol produces changes associated with longer lifespan, including increased insulin sensitivity, reduced insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) levels, increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) activity, increased mitochondrial number, and improved motor function (Baur et al, 2006).
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