Researchers Study the Mechanism of Resveratrol’s Health Benefits

The mechanism whereby the potent antioxidant trans-resveratrol exerts several health benefits was recently studied in mice. The researchers evaluated angiogenesis, which is a physiological process in which new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing vessels. Angiogenesis can be pathological in certain diseases such as cancer in which the tumors stimulate increased vessel growth, which provides greater blood supply, delivering more nutrients to the tumor, thus allowing the tumor to grow. Pathological angiogenesis is also seen in some cardiovascular disease and eye diseases.

In this new study, researchers evaluated growth in new blood vessels in the retinas of mice exposed to laser treatments. Some of the mice were also treated with resveratrol. According to this study, resveratrol inhibits pathological angiogenesis by inhibiting the proliferation and migration of the vascular endothelial cells, which are the cells that line the blood vessels. The researchers showed that resveratrol does this by regulating the elongation factor-2 kinase pathway, which plays a role in protein synthesis. The study showed that this was not due to activation of the sirtuin proteins, which is another mechanism in which resveratrol may modulate physiological activity and extend lifespan. The results of the study showed that resveratrol could have potential for delivering health benefits in both age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy.

The study authors stated, “These studies have identified a novel and critical pathway that promotes aberrant vascular proliferation and one that is amenable to modulation by pharmacological means. In addition, these results have uncovered a sirtuin-independent pathway by which resveratrol regulates angiogenesis.”

Reference:

Khan AA, Dace DS, Ryazanov AG, Kelly J, Apte RS. Resveratrol Regulates Pathologic Angiogenesis by a Eukaryotic Elongation Factor-2 Kinase-Regulated Pathway. Am J Pathol. 2010 May 14. Published Online Ahead of Print.