Resveratrol came to scientific attention during the mid-1990s. Since then, it has been touted by manufacturers and examined by scientific researchers as an antioxidant, an anti-cancer agent, and a phytoestrogen. Commonly called “The French Paradox in a bottle,” resveratrol is a beneficial compound found in red wine that is associated with life extension and other important health benefits. Resveratrol is naturally produced in grapes as a defence against toxins, and is abundant in the grape skins. As a nutraceutical, resveratrol has multiple benefits. The major of them are:
– Anti-aging
– Anti- cancer
Recently, the TNI R&D Department has completed an in vitro phase of testing on resveratrol as an anti-cancer and anti-aging compound. Below is some of the data we collected during our study.
Anti-Cancer Properties of Resveratrol
There are two main characteristics that are typical for malignant cells:
An increased ability of cells to proliferate, that allows the tumor grow rapidly
A capacity of cells to migrate and cover a distance as a result of epithelium-mesenchymal transition (EMT) – cell phenotype changes, which lead to metastasis in other organs of the body.
In terms of these two features typical for cancer, our R&D Department tested both characteristics in different types of cancer cells treated with trans-resveratrol, the substanace we mentioned above. Anti-proliferative effect of trans-resveratrol solution was evaluated on the following cancer cell lines: breast cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic carcinoma and skin fibrosarcoma. The obtained results are presented on Fig 1.
Figure 1
With all these tested types of cancer, we observed inhibition of proliferation after adding resveratrol solution to cells media, with a maximum inhibition in prostate cancer cells.
To explore a capacity of trans-resveratrol to prevent potential metastatic dissemination of cancer cells, we performed the “wound scratch assay” on breast cancer cell line. This assay allows to evaluate the process of epithelium-mesenchymal transition (ETM), related to metastatic dissemination of cancer cells all over the body. Our data are presented in Fig 2. According to these graphs, trans-resveratrol significantly inhibited/blocked the process of cell migration with maximum observed within the 48 hour time point. This allows us to consider resveratrol as a potentially beneficial nutraceutical compound with profound anti-cancer properties. More studies are on the way.
Figure 2
Anti-Aging & Rejuvenating Properties of Resveratrol
In order to test anti-aging and rejuvenating effects of resveratrol on normal skin cells we compared the effect of this compound on proliferation in normal skin cells and cancer skin cells. Our goal was to detect whether there is any selectivity in targetting cancer cells by resveratrol. We also wanted to be sure that there was no toxic effect of resveratrol on normal skin cells. Our data are presented in Fig 3 and Fig 4 consequently.
In Fig. 3 we can observe the differences in cells morphology (density, share, size).
Normal cells, treated with resveratrol had bigger size, higher cell density and more regular shape (b) than cancer cells ( lower density, irregular shape, reduced size all of which can be considered as signs of cell apoptotic changes) (a).
Figure 3
3a) Normal skin cells_resveratrol 3b) Cancer skin cells_resveratrol
Our data is presented in Fig. 4. After 48 hours of incubation, resveratrol was able to increase the proliferation in normal skin cell up to 40 %, while in cancer skin cells resveratrol inhibited proliferation up to 40%.
This data shows that resveratrol is selectively targeting and inhibiting growth of cancer cells, while enhancing/ increasing growth of normal skin cells, which makes it a great candidate for adding to rejuvenating and anti-aging skin care products.
Figure 4
Based on the properties of trans-resveratrol tested in-house on human skin fibroblasts, the TNI then developed a product called Resveratrol Night Cream that incorporates a great combination of natural oils, preservatives and extract of trans-resveratrol powder.
To experience the incredibly beneficial power of this skin care cream, please visit our website and order this product at: https://www.toulison.com/product-page/resveratrol-night-cream