Resveratrol: A review of preclinical studies for human cancer prevention

Below is the Introduction to a scientific paper titled "Resveratrol: A review of preclinical studies for human cancer prevention". The study was published in the journal Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology in November 2007 by Mohammad Athar et al.

The full article and abstract can be viewed at Science Direct.

Resveratrol: A review of preclinical studies for human cancer prevention

There is growing interest in using naturally occurring compounds as potential cancer chemopreventive agents in human populations. In this regard, a significant correlation between dietary intake and many types of cancer has been shown in epidemiological data generated throughout the world, and in animal experiments, many dietary substances have been documented to have anticancer properties. These include green tea catechins, lycopene, soy isoflavones, pomegranate phenolics, selenium, vitamins E and D, curcumin, silibinin, and resveratrol.

Resveratrol, trans-3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene is a phytoalexin produced by plants, and the skin of red grapes is particularly rich in resveratrol which affects the processes underlying all three stages of carcinogenesis; namely, tumor initiation, promotion and progression. It has also been shown to suppress angiogenesis and metastasis. Extensive data in human cell cultures indicate that resveratrol can modulate multiple pathways involved in cell growth, apoptosis, and inflammation.

The anti-carcinogenic effects of resveratrol appear to be closely associated with its antioxidant activity, and it has been shown to inhibit cyclooxygenase, hydroperoxidase, protein kinase C, Bcl-2 phosphorylation, Akt, focal adhesion kinase, NFκB, matrix metalloprotease-9, and cell cycle regulators.

These and other in vitro and in vivo studies provide a rationale in support of the use of resveratrol in human cancer chemoprevention, in a combinatorial approach with either chemotherapeutic drugs or cytotoxic factors for the highly efficient treatment of drug refractory tumor cells (Seve et al., 2005). This review discusses the current preclinical and mechanistic data available to support its potential use in diminishing risk for a variety of human cancers.