Resveratrol research

People in France eat a lot of fatty foods but suffer less from fatal heart strokes than people in the northern regions of Europe or in North America, where wine is not consumed on a regular basis ( French paradox ). There is an increased favorable effect from red wine. The unique cardioprotective properties of red wine are due to the action of flavonoids, which are minimal in white wine. The best-researched flavonoids are resveratrol and quercetin, which confer antioxidant properties more potent than a-tocopherol. 

Studies that investigate the bioavailability of resveratrol in humans are scarce. Moreover, the research in this area is quite recent. It has been summarized in Table 13.5. The experimental approaches have been improved with the use of new analytical techniques such as mass spectrometry to identify and quantify metabolites present in very low concentrations. Resveratrol and its metabolites have been measured in several biofluids plasma or serum, urine, LDL, and feces. 

Recently, resveratrol was found to reverse fat-induced insulin resistance [McCarty, 2005]. This observation provides more enthusiasm for researchers to use resveratrol as an antidiabetic agent. Su and associates [2006] showed that resveratrol significantly reduced the plasma glucose concentration as well as the dramatic reduction of triglyceride concentration in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mellitus rats in 14 days treatment. They concluded from this observation that resveratrol possesses hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties [Su et al., 2006]. Baur et al., [2006] added more value to this conclusion by showing that resveratrol increases insulin sensitivity by lowering the blood... 

Becker, J. V., Armstrong, G. O., van der Merwe, M. J., Lambrechts, M. G., Vivier, M. A., Pretoiius, 1. S. (2003) Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the synthesis of the wine-related antioxidant resveratrol. FFMS Yeast Research, 4, 79-85. 

Research in our laboratory has focused on cancer prevention in colon and skin by phytochemicals. We have recently studied apigenin, a tri-hydroxy flavone that is widely distributed in plants and resveratrol, a phytoalexin that is found in grapes, wine, peanuts, and Asian herbs. We initially found that topical apigenin inhibited chemically and ultraviolet (UV)-light induced skin cancer and that it was most effective in preventing cancer promotion. 

Both (Mp + Mco) (Scheme XVII) and (Mp + Mc2) (Scheme XX) coupling modes in the synthesis of resveratrol oligomers are totally compatible with the nature of the peroxidase-catalyzed reaction. The reasons why the above coupling modes are favored in vivo (to permit the formation of s-viniferin), whereas the (Mp + Mo4 ) coupling mode (Scheme XVI) is favoured in vitro, is a question which deserves further research. 

Where are some superfruits and extracts that are under current medical research located within the research pyramid In the abbreviated list of fruits and extracts that follows, you can readily see that some superfruits—a< af berries, blueberries, and strawberries—are still in basic research within the bottom half of the pyramid (ten-plus years from qualifying for human research requirements), whereas other superfruits—cranberries, red grapes, the grape extract resveratrol, and anthocyanins extracted from different fruits—are progressing through clinical research within step 4. 

Among all the current superfruit research going on, no individual phytochemical has ignited as much research intensity as resveratrol. Resveratrol is present not only in red grapes and wine but also in the skins of superfruits such as blackcurrants, blueberries, and strawberries. 

The research excitement about resveratrol began with a study in 2003 at Harvard University indicating that resveratrol mimicked effects of ca or e restriction in yeast cells, extending their longevity by 70 percent. Its main target in the body appears to be an enzyme called sirtuin, which, in addition to its properties as an antiaging molecule, can lower blood sugar levels in mice bred to have diabetes and obesity. 

Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of death in developed countries, making prevention a priority for public health policy. Research evidence over years has shown that cardiovascular diseases can be managed and even prevented by healthful eating practices involving a resveratrol-enriched diet of whole plant foods such as offered by superfruits. For more than fifty years, research has shown that a healthful, active lifestyle combined with the dietary benefit of high fruit and vegetable intake may lower blood lipid levels, blood pressure, and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. 

Such gloomy forecasts have ignited new research efforts and advisory programs to educate the public about dietary and lifestyle modifications to prevent and control these conditions. The promising benefits of dietary resveratrol were discussed earlier in this section. Consumption of nutrient-dense, high-fiber foods—as in a Mediterranean diet supple-... 

Of specific intense research interest for their exceptional anthocya-nin and resveratrol contents are native American grape species with the thickest, darkest skins—the two most famous being Concord and muscadine. Both varieties yield exceptional contents of skin anthocyanins and resveratrol. 

Owing to the importance of grapes in human diets and to the ascendance of promising phyto chemicals such as resveratrol and anthocyanins in the research pyramid toward clinical trials, the red grape is the most intensively studied and most advanced superfruit in human research. 

What impresses about blueberry s nutrient profile is that it has a broad range. Almost all essential nutrients are present at low to good levels for achieving daily value percentages—similar to its close cousin, the cranberry. Three nutrients with excellent DV percentages are dietary fiber (mainly from the berry skin), vitamin C, and the essential mineral manganese. The main attraction of blueberries maybe the skin s unique profile of blue-pigmented anthocyanins and resveratrol, two intensively researched scientific topics. 

Structure elucidation studies of resveratrol oligomers have benefited greatly from the development of NMR spectroscopy. However, other spectroscopic methods such UV, IR, and MS still remain important tools in this research. 

Some microbial pathogens can circumvent the defensive response of plants by biotransforming the antimicrobial stilbenoids in a multi-step oxidative detoxification process [106], Research has shown that the pathogenicity of B. cinerea strains is positively correlated with these fungi s production of blue-copper oxidases known as stilbene oxidases or laccases [127,128]. These enzymes are polyphenol oxidases capable of catalyzing the oxidation and polymerization of numerous phenolic substrates [129,130,131,132]. It has been shown that 1 is readily transformed in the presence of B. cinerea culture medium filtrates that contain laccases [107]. Recently, six resveratrol dimers (restrytisols A-C... 

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