In the first resveratrol study, researchers from the Inonu University Medical Faculty and Turgut Ozal Medical Center in Malatya, Turkey studied the effect that Resveratrol had on inhibiting the development of cataracts that were induced in lab rats.

48 rat pups were separated into 3 treatment groups: #1 – control group injected with a normal saline ethanol solution; Group #2 was injected sodium selenite (30 nmol/g body wt); and Group #3 was given sodium selenite plus resveratrol (40 mg/kg). On day 21, cataract development was graded by slit-lamp examination and photography. Encapsulated lenses and erythrocytes were analyzed for reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipid peroxidation.

The results showed that the control group’s lenses (group 1) were clear. In group 2, all rats developed cataracts (grade 3-grade 6), whereas in group 3, only 9 of 16 rats developed cataracts (grade 2-grade 3). The difference of cataract frequency between group # 2 and #3 was statistically significant (p<0.05). Group 3 lenses and erythrocytes had higher mean GSH and lower mean MDA levels than those in group 2 (p<0.05)

The researchers concluded from their study that Resveratrol suppressed sodium selenite-induced oxidative stress and cataract formation in rats. This preventative effect was supported by greater GSH and lower MDA in lens and erythrocytes. The presence of oxidative stress in selenite cataract development and its prevention by resveratrol support the possibility that high natural consumption of resveratrol in food can help prevent human senile cataract.

In the second study by researchers from Ohio State University, the scientists found that Resveratrol reduced the oxidation and growth of human retinal pigment epithelial(RPE) cells.

The researchers hypothesized that resveratrol, a red wine polyphenol, may be responsible, in part, for the health benefits of moderate red wine consumption on retinal disease. To test their theory, the antioxidant and antiproliferative effects of resveratrol were examined in a human RPE cell line.

The treatment of the cells included 50 and 100_mol/L Resveratrol. Both quantities significantly decreased the proliferation of RPE cells by10% and 25%, respectively (P < 0.05). In addition, the reduction in RPE cells was not associated with resveratrol-induced cytotoxicity.

Resveratrol (100 _mol/L) inhibited basal and H2O2-induced intracellular oxidation and protected RPE cells from H2O2-induced cell death. The observed reduction in cell proliferation was associated with inhibition of mitogen activated protein kinase/ERK (MEK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK 1/2) activities at concentrations of resveratrol as low as 5 _mol/L. Their findings offer that resveratrol can decrease oxidative stress and hyperproliferation of the RPE.

They concluded that the evidence suggests that moderate wine consumption and antioxidant-rich diets(and likely Resveratrol supplementation – edit.) may protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss among the elderly. Development of AMD and other retinal diseases, such as proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), is associated with oxidative stress in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a cell layer responsible for maintaining the health of the retina by providing structural and nutritional support.

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Lindsay Brown, associate professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences at The University of Queensland and author of the research says “The breadth of benefits is remarkable – cancer prevention, protection of the heart and brain from damage, reducing age-related diseases such as inflammation, reversing diabetes and obesity, and many more.”

“It has long been a question as to how such a simple compound could have these effects but now the puzzle is becoming clearer with the discovery of the pathways, especially the sirtuins, a family of enzymes that regulate the production of cellular components by the nucleus.

The major points to the study established the following:

Resveratrol exhibits therapeutic potential for cancer chemo-prevention as well as cardio-protection. Brown states “It sounds contradictory that a single compound can benefit the heart by preventing damage to cells, yet prevent cancer by causing cell death,.”The most likely explanation is that low concentrations of Resveratrol activate survival mechanisms of cells while high concentrations turn on the in-built death signals in these cells.”

Resveratrol may inhibit age-related disorders, like neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and inflammation. Brown says “The simplest explanation is that resveratrol turns on the cell’s own survival pathways, preventing damage to individual cells,”. “Further mechanisms help, including removing very reactive oxidants in the body and improving blood supply to cells.”

Low doses of resveratrol increase cellular survival as a function of cardio- and neuro-protection, while high Resveratrol doses increase cell death. “The key difference is probably the result of activation of the sirtuins in the nucleus,” said Brown. “Low activation reverses age-associated changes, while high activation increases the process of apoptosis or programmed cell death to remove cellular debris. Similar changes are seen with low-dose versus high-dose resveratrol: low-dose resveratrol produces cellular protection and reduces damage, while high-dose resveratrol prevents cancers,” Said Brown.

These findings seem to point to resveratrol’s dual role in both maintaining health blood flow and heart health when taken in lower doses, while also exhibiting anti-cancer ant-tumor qualities in larger doses.
Final notes made by Stephen Taylor, from the University of Queensland Pharmacology department, is that red wine Resveratrol is largely inactivated by the digestive processes in the stomach and liver before it reaches the blood stream. So, he concludes that the biological effects could be even more profound with greater bioavailability – this suggests the possible potency of Resveratrol supplements that deliver Resveratrol in capsules, that can pass through the digestive process without dissolving rapidly, may be a better source of Resveratrol than tablet or powders.

Scientists from the National Chia-Yi University and the National Taiwan Normal University reported that lab rats with induced limited blood flow in the brain (cerebral ischemia) experienced an increased blood flow – approximately 30% – from a single dose of resveratrol.

Kwok Tung Lu said that “We found that resveratrol administration… led to cerebral blood flow elevation and protected animals from ischemia-induced neuron loss.”

Strokes can happen subsequent to blood clots forming or when an artery ‘pops’ in the brain and disrupts the blood supply to parts of the brain.

The new study, separated sixty adult male rats into three identical groups. One was a control group; a second group was induced with cerebral ischemia; and the third group was also induced to reduced blood flow but was also given an intravenous dose of resveratrol (20 mg / kg of body weight).

The cerebral blood flow in the second group diminished by 65 % as opposed to the control group. The cerebral ischemia resveratrol group’s blood flow also diminished, but only by 35%.

The scientists also discovered that nitric oxide(NO) concentrations in the affected portion of the rats’ brains were 25% greater in the rats given a resveratrol dose than both the ischemia-only group and the control group. Nitric oxide is a molecule used by lining of blood vessels (endothelium) to activate the surrounding muscle to relax, thereby dilating the blood vessel and augmenting the blood flow.

Scientist Lu stated “ that resveratrol may elicit neuroprotective effects by stimulating NO formation or release, which increases cerebral blood flow,”.

This research is very compelling especially for those who are at greater risk of having a stroke. Resveratrol supplements may be efficacious in warding off a possible stroke by dilating neural blood vessels and increasing flow in the brain.

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