The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of resveratrol in lowering blood glucose in the presence of standard antidiabetic treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes, in a randomized placebo-controlled double-blinded parallel clinical trial. A total of 66 subjects with type 2 diabetes were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to intervention group which was supplemented with resveratrol at a dose 1 g/day for 45 days and control group which received placebo tablets. Body weight, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, haemoglobin A1c, insulin, homeostatic assessments for insulin resistance, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, and markers of liver and kidney damage were measured at baseline and after 45 days of resveratrol or placebo supplementation. Resveratrol treatment significantly decreased systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, haemoglobin A1c, insulin, and insulin resistance, while HDL was significantly increased, when compared to their baseline levels. On the other hand, the placebo group had slightly increased fasting glucose and LDL when compared to their baseline levels. Liver and kidney function markers were unchanged in the intervention group. Overall, this study showed that resveratrol supplementation exerted strong antidiabetic effects in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Resveratrol treatment was beneficial in preventing the development of concentric hypertrophy and cardiac dysfunction in SHR. The cardioprotective effect of resveratrol in SHR may be partially mediated by a reduction in oxidative stress. Thus, resveratrol may have potential in preventing cardiac impairment in patients with essential hypertension.

No abstract

Cardiac hypertrophy is a compensatory enlargement of the heart due to either volume overload (VO) and/or pressure overload (PO) that develops into heart failure if left untreated. The polyphenol resveratrol has been reported to regress PO-induced cardiac hypertrophy in rats. Our aim in this study was to assess the effectiveness of resveratrol on VO-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to aortocaval shunt and abdominal aortic banding surgeries to create VO and PO, respectively; sham-operated rats served as controls. To arrest the development of cardiac hypertrophy, daily resveratrol treatment (2.5 mg/kg body weight) was started 2 d postsurgery for 26 d and assessed by echocardiography at 2, 14, and 28 d postsurgery. Similarly, to regress cardiac hypertrophy resveratrol treatment was started after structural and functional abnormalities developed (14 d postsurgery) for 14 d and assessed by echocardiography at 14 and 28 d postsurgery. VO surgeries induced eccentric hypertrophy characterized by increased left ventricle internal dimensions (LVID) without wall thickening. Conversely, PO induced concentric hypertrophy with increased wall thickness without change in LVID. Lipid peroxidation, a marker for oxidative stress, was significantly elevated in both PO and VO rats. Resveratrol treatment arrested the development and regressed abnormalities in cardiac structure and function in PO but not VO rats. Treatment with resveratrol also significantly reduced oxidative stress in cardiac tissue of PO and VO rats. The results on cardiac structure and function demonstrate a potential for resveratrol in the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy due to PO but not VO.

We hypothesized that a low-dose resveratrol will reverse cardiovascular abnormalities in rats fed a high-fat (HF) diet. Obese prone (OP) and obese resistant (OR) rats were fed an HF diet for 17 weeks; Sprague-Dawley rats fed laboratory chow served as control animals. During the last 5 weeks of study, treatment group received resveratrol daily by oral gavage at a dosage of 2.5 mg/kg body weight. Assessments included echocardiography, blood pressure, adiposity, glycemia, insulinemia, lipidemia, and inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. Body weight and adiposity were significantly higher in OP rats when compared to OR rats. Echocardiographic measurements showed prolonged isovolumic relaxation time in HF-fed OP and OR rats. Treatment with resveratrol significantly improved diastolic function in OP but not in OR rats without affecting adiposity. OP and OR rats had increased blood pressure which remained unchanged with treatment. OP rats had elevated fasting serum glucose and insulin, whereas OR rats had increased serum glucose and normal insulin concentrations. Resveratrol treatment significantly reduced serum glucose while increasing serum insulin in both OP and OR rats. Inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, serum triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein were higher in OP rats, which were significantly reduced with treatment. In conclusion, HF induced cardiac dysfunction in both OP and OR rats. Treatment reversed abnormalities in diastolic heart function associated with HF feeding in OP rats, but not in OR rats. The beneficial effects of resveratrol may be mediated through regression of hyperglycemia, oxidative stress and inflammation.

No abstract

No abstract

The ability of resveratrol to limit the increase in compliance of SHR arteries is likely related to inhibitory effects on remodeling and pro-growth ERK signaling rather than blood pressure or arterial wall component stiffness.