RESVERATROL

Resveratrol

Resveratrol

Introduction

Resveratrol is a natural phytoalexin secreted by some plants as a protective response against parasites such as bacteria or fungi. Resveratrol is currently the subject of numerous studies on its effects in animals and humans. Resveratrol is a polyphenol class of stilbenes found in some fruits such as grapes, and blackberries or peanuts. It is present in significant amounts in wine where its occurrence has been summoned to explain the beneficial health effects of moderate consumption of wine. Its name comes from Veratrum, the white hellebore, from which it was extracted for the first time in 1939 by Japanese, Takaoka. It was also identified in 1959 in a eucalyptus tree, and then in the root of Fallopia japonica (or Polygonum cuspidatum) in 1963. It has been used for centuries in East Asia in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine (Bagchi, 2000).

It was identification in the grape skin in 1976, but it took 16 years until 1992 when Siemann and Creasy finally identified it in wine. At the same time appear two articles that will have an enormous impact on studies of resveratrol. The first in 1992 which shows that moderate wine consumption may protect against coronary heart disease and the second in 1993, which shows that resveratrol is in the wine that, by inhibiting LDL oxidation, should be responsible for its cardio-protective effect (Aggarwal et al., 2006).

Discussion

Resveratrol is a good candidate to solve the problem of the French paradox, a term that refers to the surprising situation of the south-west, where a high intake of animal fat is associated with a relatively low rate of cardiovascular disease (relative to the countries of northern Europe).

This work has triggered a plethora of studies on the chemo-preventive role of Polyphenols in wine, particularly resveratrol. Apart from the prevention of coronary heart disease, the list of well-documented beneficial effects of this compound has been increasing. It involves inflammation, platelet activation, angiogenesis, maintenance of bone mass, aging, reduction of body fat, and neuro-protection. For a decade, observations supporting the health benefits of resveratrol have continued to accumulate but still relying on circumstantial evidence such as epidemiological studies on the biological effects on established systems in vitro or laboratory animals. For now, due to the absence of direct evidence, these results can be extended to humans with extreme caution (Maroon, 2009).

In experiments with rats and mice have been reported beneficial anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, low blood sugar and other cardiovascular benefits. Most of these results have not been replicated in humans. In experiments with mice and rats, resveratrol has been revealed as antitumor, anti-inflammatory, lowering blood sugar levels, cardio protective, and other useful properties of resveratrol. Clinical trials to confirm these effects in humans had taken place. In addition, a series of experiments in which the effect of resveratrol has been shown to increase survival of some invertebrates and short-lived fish, on the other side of the experiments did not reveal this effect (Bagchi, 2000).

Resveratrol is occurred in the skins of grapes and other fruits, cocoa and ...