Resveratrol May Protect the Brain

Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound found in, among other things, grape skins and red wine. It is also a supplement that has been in the news quite frequently over the last few years. Recent studies have tied resveratrol to longer life, enhanced athletic performance, reduced risk of colorectal and prostate cancer, and reduced inflammation.

In a study publish in April, researchers from one of the nation's most prestigious medical schools, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, have discovered that resveratrol may protect the brain from damage following a stroke and they have identified the mechanism of action behind the protection.¹ 

The researchers first tested the effects of resveratrol on cultured mouse cortical neuronal cells. They found that resveratrol protected the cells from oxidative damage in dose- and time-dependent manners. From this aspect of the study, the researchers also determined that resveratrol selectively increased the activity level of an enzyme, heme oxygenase 1, which is known to exert a protective effect on brain cells. When the heme oxygenase 1 was inhibited, the neurons were not protected. This indicates that resveratrol does not protect the brain cells directly by reducing oxidation, but rather by enhancing protective mechanisms that already exist in the cells.

For the second aspect of the study, the researchers worked with several groups of mice. In addition to an untreated control group, one of the groups was fed a single "modest dose" of resveratrol. Two hours after the mice ingested the resveratrol, an ischemic stroke was induced. Those mice suffered no noticeable brain damage from the event. However it seems that resveratrol did not cause this effect directly, but rather by up-regulating heme oxygenase 1 enzyme. This was demonstrated by another group of mice was fed the same single dose of resveratrol, but with the heme oxygenase 1 selectively deleted before the stroke was induced. In these mice, the damage was severe with "most, if not all, of the beneficial effects" of the pre-treatment being lost.

Commenting on their findings, lead researcher, Sylvain Doré, Ph.D, stated that "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." Certainly, the finding suggest a specific "intracellular pathway by which resveratrol can provide cell/organ resistance against neuropathological conditions."

Learn more about this exciting antioxidant including additional recent research on resveratrol.

1. Sakata, Y., H. Zhuang, et al. (2010). "Resveratrol protects against experimental stroke: Putative neuroprotective role of heme oxygenase 1." Exp Neurol.