Resveratrol's Potential in the Adjunctive Management of Cardiovascular Disease, Obesity, Diabetes, Alzheimer Disease, and Cancer.

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol that can be found in several human dietary sources, including red wine; many plants, especially grapes, berries, and nuts; and nutritional supplements. Findings from numerous preclinical experiments and clinical trials in humans suggest that resveratrol may play an important role in managing or preventing a variety of diseases. Some of the health benefits include cardioprotective effects; chemopreventive properties; metabolic changes, such as improved glycemic control; protection from diabetic consequences; and synergistic therapeutic effects when administered with other treatment modalities.

Resveratrol can both enhance and relax adrenergic contractions of the rat tail artery.

Our aims were to determine 1) if resveratrol's vasorelaxant action is greater in the distal (resistance) versus proximal (conductance) portion of the rat tail artery, and 2) if it can be blocked by agents known to block different potassium (K) channels in arterial smooth muscle. We found that its half-maximally effective concentration values were essentially identical (25 ± 3 versus 27 ± 3 μM) for relaxing adrenergically-precontracted rings prepared from distal versus proximal tissues. This does not confirm a previous report of greater relaxation in resistance versus conductance arteries.