Earlier studies have shown that resveratrol could induce death in several human
cancer cell lines in culture. Here we report our observation that resveratrol
can also promote the growth of certain human cancer cells when they are grown
either in culture or in athymic nude mice as xenografts. At relatively low
concentrations (</=5 microM), resveratrol exerted a significant
growth-stimulatory effect in the MDA-MB-435s human cancer cells, but this effect
was not observed in several other human cell lines tested. Analysis of cell
signaling molecules showed that resveratrol induced the activation of JNK, p38,
Akt, and NF-kappaB signaling pathways in these cells. Further analysis using
pharmacological inhibitors showed that only the NF-kappaB inhibitor (BAY11-7082)
abrogated the growth-stimulatory effect of resveratrol in cultured cells. In
athymic nude mice, resveratrol at 16.5 mg/kg body weight enhanced the growth of
MDA-MB-435s xenografts compared to the control group, while resveratrol at the
33 mg/kg body weight dose did not have a similar effect. Additional analyses
confirmed that resveratrol stimulated cancer cell growth in vivo through

BACKGROUND: Calorie Restriction (CR) research has expanded rapidly over the past
few decades and CR remains the most highly reproducible, environmental
intervention to improve health and extend lifespan in animal studies. Although
many model organisms have consistently demonstrated positive responses to CR, it
remains to be shown whether CR will extend lifespan in humans. Additionally, the
current environment of excess caloric consumption and high incidence of
overweight/obesity illustrate the improbable nature of the long-term adoption of
a CR lifestyle by a significant proportion of the human population. Thus, the
search for substances that can reproduce the beneficial physiologic responses of
CR without a requisite calorie intake reduction, termed CR mimetics (CRMs), has
gained momentum. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Recent articles describing health and
lifespan results of CR in nonhuman primates and short-term human studies are
discussed. Additional consideration is given to the rapidly expanding search for
CRMs. RESULTS: The first results from a long-term, randomized, controlled CR
study in nonhuman primates showing statistically significant benefits on

In a possible setback for scientists attempting to make drugs out of a substance found in red wine, GlaxoSmithKline PLC said a clinical trial of one drug in cancer patients has been halted due to safety concerns.

Glaxo acquired the drug in 2008 when it paid $720 million for Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company in Cambridge, Mass. The drug, known as SRT501, contains a reformulated version of resveratrol, a substance found in low quantities in red wine. Glaxo and Sirtris have been testing the drug and others in several diseases, including diabetes and cancer, in the belief that they may provide health benefits by activating enzymes in the body called sirtuins.

Resveratrol Clinical Trial Halted because of safety concerns

BACKGROUND: The many putative beneficial effects of the polyphenol resveratrol include an ability to bolster endogenous antioxidant defenses, modulate nitric oxide synthesis, and promote vasodilation, which thereby improves blood flow. Resveratrol may therefore modulate aspects of brain function in humans. OBJECTIVE: The current study assessed the effects of oral resveratrol on cognitive performance and localized cerebral blood flow variables in healthy human adults. DESIGN: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, 22 healthy adults received placebo and 2 doses (250 and 500 mg) of trans-resveratrol in counterbalanced order on separate days. After a 45-min resting absorption period, the participants performed a selection of cognitive tasks that activate the frontal cortex for an additional 36 min. Cerebral blood flow and hemodynamics, as indexed by concentration changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin, were assessed in the frontal cortex throughout the posttreatment period with the use of near-infrared spectroscopy.

They pass themselves off as an independent review site, but the truth is that this is just a portal to steer you to the sites that sell you this crap.

Resveratrol SCAM

Resveratrol (3,5,4 trans-hydroxy stilbene) was discovered about 70 years ago. It's hardly new. You see everyone selling resveratrol, so it must be good stuff, right? If so many people are buying it, then it must work, right?

Cancer Research UK is more forthright in condemning those who hype resveratrol for its cancer- inhibiting properties. "Many vitamin and mineral supplements were believed to be potent cancer fighters until trials and large studies showed they are usually ineffective and can even increase the risk of cancer in some cases," says the charity's Yinka Ebo. "Resveratrol has a few anticancer properties when tested in animals or cells grown in a lab. But, to date, there is no strong evidence that resveratrol supplements can prevent cancer in people."

Read the whole story at Wired

Since an article appeared in "Nature" in 2003 about the potential life-extension capabilities of resveratrol, many people both in and out inside of the life-extension community have been interested in this supplement. Red wine became touted even more as a heath drink due to its (meager) resveratrol content, and people began to have hope in this as a potential CR mimetic. The possibility to obtain the benefits of CR with out the actual calorie restriction made the ears of the nation perk.

By 2006 and 2007, the results from different groups were beginning to conflict. Studies began to indicate that while resveratrol had health benefits in elderly and obese mice, the longevity effects were not consistently observed in ad lib fed mice stared on the supplement midlife. However, a very interesting observation showed that resveratrol could improve insulin and glucose levels in mice on a high-fat (over-consumption) diet, but note that cholesterol and free fatty acid levels did not improve.

Caution Is Advisable

Although laboratory tests have demonstrated that resveratrol might help prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer, there are several reasons why a population-wide increase would be premature.

- The research on resveratrol has focused on its short-term effects and has been dominated by in vitro (laboratory) studies on non-human models.

- Not enough is known about the absorption and clearance of resveratrol, the identities of its metabolic products, or its effects on the liver.

- Resveratrol's role as a potentiator of breast carcinomas may significantly limit its use.

-  While taking resveratrol pills is certainly safer than heavy wine consumption, supplementing with unproven substances is generally unwise. At this point, occasional use of red wine seems far more prudent.

The Bottom Line

Via In the Pipeline, I see that research groups are suggesting that some of the data for resveratrol (and other possible calorie restriction mimetics developed by Sirtris) is invalid, and previously reported beneficial effects on mice cannot be replicated: "Last fall, a group at Amgen published a study suggesting that some of the SIRT1/resveratrol connections might be due an an experimental artifact caused by a particular fluorescent peptide. Now a group at Pfizer has piled on in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. They're looking over resveratrol and a series of sirtuin activators described by the Sirtris group in Nature. And unfortunately, they also find trouble due to fluorogenic peptides. The TAMRA fluorophore on their peptide substrates seems to pervert the assay. While the Sirtris compounds looked like activators initially, switching to the native peptide substrates showed them to be worthless. Further study (calorimetry) showed that the activator compounds bind to a complex of SIRT1 and the fluorescent peptide substrate, but not to SIRT1 itself (or in the presence of native substrate without the fluorogenic group).

Efforts to slow the march of old age with a pill have been dealt a blow. Drugs that might treat disease by tampering with the biology of ageing are being tested, but new research questions whether they work as thought.

The compounds include resveratrol, a much-touted component of red wine that is thought to prevent the cellular damage that underlies ageing. Also under test are several chemicals intended to mimic resveratrol's effects by activating SIRT1, a protein implicated in ageing. Experiments have led some to conclude that these drugs ramp up the protein's activity, but the new studies suggest that those experiments suffered from errors.

AIM: To elucidate the effect of antioxidants, resveratrol (RVT) and astaxanthin (AXN), on hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication. METHODS: We investigated the effect of recent popular antioxidant supplements on replication of the HCV replicon system OR6. RVT is a strong antioxidant and a kind of polyphenol that inhibits replication of various viruses. AXN is also a strong antioxidant. The replication of HCV RNA was assessed by the luciferase reporter assay. An additive effect of antioxidants on antiviral effects of interferon (IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) was investigated. RESULTS: This is the first report to investigate the effect of RVT and AXN on HCV replication. In contrast to other reported viruses, RVT significantly enhanced HCV RNA replication. Vitamin E also enhanced HCV RNA replication as reported previously, although AXN did not affect replication. IFN and RBV significantly reduced HCV RNA replication, but these effects were dose-dependently hampered and attenuated by the addition of RVT. AXN did not affect antiviral effects of IFN or RBV. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that RVT is not suitable as an antioxidant therapy for chronic hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND: Caloric restriction without malnutrition extends life span in a range of organisms including insects and mammals and lowers free radical production by the mitochondria. However, the mechanism responsible for this adaptation are poorly understood. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The current study was undertaken to examine muscle mitochondrial bioenergetics in response to caloric restriction alone or in combination with exercise in 36 young (36.8 +/- 1.0 y), overweight (body mass index, 27.8 +/- 0.7 kg/m(2)) individuals randomized into one of three groups for a 6-mo intervention: Control, 100% of energy requirements; CR, 25% caloric restriction; and CREX, caloric restriction with exercise (CREX), 12.5% CR + 12.5% increased energy expenditure (EE). In the controls, 24-h EE was unchanged, but in CR and CREX it was significantly reduced from baseline even after adjustment for the loss of metabolic mass (CR, -135 +/- 42 kcal/d, p = 0.002 and CREX, -117 +/- 52 kcal/d, p = 0.008). Participants in the CR and CREX groups had increased expression of genes encoding proteins involved in mitochondrial function such as PPARGC1A, TFAM, eNOS, SIRT1, and PARL (all, p < 0.05).

An article in the Wall Street Journal about the craze over resveratrol (requires subscription) based on a couple of mice studies should give supplement buyers pause.

This resveratrol feeding frenzy reminds me of a similar situation a few years back with St. John’s Wort. As I’m sure most of you know, St. John’s Wort is an herb that offers a mild anti-depressant effect to its takers. Although St. John’s Wort has been around forever, it was primarily known only to herbalists and other hard-core natural food types until several years ago when a spate of popular books came out touting its advantages. These books provoked a run on St. John’s Wort similar to the rush to buy resveratrol today.

Read the whole article at proteinpower.com