The pharmacology of resveratrol in animals and humans

• Published in: Biochimica et biophysica acta Vol. 1852; no. 6; pp. 1071 - 1113
• Main Authors: Park, Eun-Jung, Pezzuto, John M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.06.2015
• Subjects: Animal study; Animals; Clinical trial; Clinical Trials as Topic; Humans; Periodicals as Topic; Pharmacological activity; Resveratrol; Stilbenes - pharmacology; Stilbenes - therapeutic use; Clinical trial; Pharmacological activity; Animal study; Resveratrol
• ISSN: 0925-4439; 0006-3002; 1879-260X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2015.01.014

In addition to thousands of research papers related to resveratrol (RSV), approximately 300 review articles have been published. Earlier research tended to focus on pharmacological activities of RSV related to cardiovascular systems, inflammation, and carcinogenesis/cancer development. More recently, the horizon has been broadened by exploring the potential effect of RSV on the aging process, diabetes, neurological dysfunction, etc. Herein, we primarily focus on the in vivo pharmacological effects of RSV reported over the past 5years (2009–2014). In addition, recent clinical intervention studies performed with resveratrol are summarized. Some discrepancies exist between in vivo studies with animals and clinical studies, or between clinical studies, which are likely due to disparate doses of RSV, experimental settings, and subject variation. Nevertheless, many positive indications have been reported with mammals, so it is reasonable to advocate for the conduct of more definitive clinical studies. Since the safety profile is pristine, an added advantage is the use of RSV as a dietary supplement. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Resveratrol: Challenges in translating pre-clinical findings to improved patient outcomes. •Biological activities of resveratrol observed with animal models•Responses mediated by resveratrol in clinical trials•Chemopreventive/antitumor, anti-diabetic, nervous system activities of resveratrol•Effects of resveratrol on cardiovascular systems, obesity, and longevity•Biomarkers affected by resveratrol with in vivo systems