|
Join our Newsletter "& receive our newsletter TRANSCEND, Research Reports, and Special Promotions...
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Resveratrol, an active polyphenol compound found in red wine, may have neuroprotective effects that could mitigate brain damage related to stroke, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The results of their study were published in Experimental Neurology (ePub 2010 Apr 8).
In the in vitro portion of the trial, resveratrol selectively induced heme oxygenase 1 (HO1) in a dose- and time-dependent manner in cultured mouse cortical neuronal cells, and protected the cells from oxidative damage. If the cells were pretreated with a heme oxygenase inhibitor, the protection was lost, suggesting HO1 induction is partially responsible for resveratrol’s neuroprotective effects. In addition, the research team found administering mice a single dose of resveratrol dose-dependently protected the animals from brain damage induced by an ischemic stroke. Mice in which HO1 was selectively deleted lost most, if not all, of the beneficial effects.
Sylvain Doré, Ph.D., an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine and pharmacology and molecular sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, commented, “Our study adds to evidence that resveratrol can potentially build brain resistance to ischemic stroke.” However, he cautioned more research is needed to determine the optimal amount of resveratrol and method of administration. “Resveratrol itself may not be shielding brain cells from free radical damage directly, but instead, resveratrol, and its metabolites, may be prompting the cells to defend themselves,” he said.
Sources:
Johns Hopkins Medicine: How Red Wine May Shield Brain From Stroke Damage
|
|
|
|
Stay Connected