Using molecular biological techniques in human cells growing in culture is a strong tool to elucidate the mechanism of actions of dietary components like resveratrol
the main parts of the mechanism of resveratrol that we have observed seems to be the inhibition of inflammation, otherwise known as an anti-inflammatory response. Recently, research has shown that general inflammation in the body appears to be crucial in the development of many lifestyle diseases, and thus if one could find a way to reduce the level of low-grade inflammation, then you might also find that you could reduce the risk of these diseases.” “Of course, with these dietary components, we are not
talking about
something which you could give to someone once in their lifetime that would then provide lasting beneficial effects; rather, it would have to be something that was ingested in small doses via the diet throughout one’s lifetime.” The project currently being run by
Vang and his team in collaboration with researchers at two other Danish universities (University of Aarhus and University of Southern Denmark) is looking at the effects of resveratrol exposure on overweight and obese males. This is due to the fact that these
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“ The anti-oxidant effects of resveratrol and many other dietary components have been widely described in the media over the last few decades”
subjects generally show increased inf lammation, making it easier to see whether
the compound mitigates the
effects of the condition. “In these human trials, we have also been taking blood and urine samples from the participants in order to analyse the way in which resveratrol is metabolised,” says Vang. “This is mainly because although we know what resveratrol is useful for, we are not totally aware of the biological effect of metabolising it in the body. We want to find out whether the effect that it has on the body is coming from the resveratrol compound alone, or whether it is working in combination with other factors.” The last part of research that the Danish
team are involved in is investigating how
resveratrol interferes with
mitochondria, the organelle found in cells in which respiration takes place. By monitoring the effect of resveratrol on mitochondrial metabolism, they hope to be able to identify the mechanism by which resveratrol can reduce inflammation. A lot
of cellular mechanisms are
modulated by resveratrol, but “ironically, the primary molecular target of resveratrol has yet not been identified after 15 years of intensive research” says Dr. Vang, and he and his team still keep this goal in mind. Looking to the future, Vang is hopeful
that the work carried out will lead to a much
greater understanding dietary of
resveratrol, and that the findings of resveratrol will promote the research of other relevant
compounds. 115
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