|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Red Wine Reduces Alzheimer’s Disease-Causing
Peptides
It’s the resveratrol from grapes that also protect
our hearts, prevent cancer
 Nov.
3, 2005 – The good news for red wine continues to mount. A new study
says resveratrol, a compound found in grapes and red wine, lowers the
levels of the amyloid-beta peptides, which cause the tell-telltale
senile plaques of Alzheimer’s disease. A study earlier this year found
it is the polyphenols, like resveratrol, that also lower the risk of
heart problems when we drink two to three glasses of red wine a day.
Polyphenols have also been identified in helping prevent cancer.
This new study is published in the November 11
issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol called a
phytoalexin, a class of compounds produced as part of a plant's defense
system against disease. It is produced in the plant in response to an
invading fungus, stress, injury, infection or ultraviolet irradiation.
"Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol occurring in
abundance in several plants, including grapes, berries and peanuts,"
explains study author Philippe Marambaud.
"The polyphenol is found in high concentrations in
red wines. The highest concentration of resveratrol has been reported in
wines prepared from Pinot Noir grapes. Generally, white wines contain 1%
to 5% of the resveratrol content present in most red wines."
One of the characteristic features of Alzheimer's
disease is the deposition of amyloid-beta peptides in the brain.
Philippe Marambaud and his colleagues at the
Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer's Disease and
Memory Disorders in Manhasset, New York, administered resveratrol to
cells which produce human amyloid-beta and tested the compound's
effectiveness by monitoring amyloid-beta levels inside and outside the
cells.
They found that levels of amyloid-beta in the
treated cells were much lower than those in untreated cells.
The researchers believe the compound acts by
stimulating the degradation of amyloid-beta peptides by the proteasome,
a barrel-shaped multi-protein complex that can specifically digest
proteins into short polypeptides and amino acids.
However, eating grapes may not be a cure for
Alzheimer's disease.
"It is difficult to know whether the anti-amyloidogenic
effect of resveratrol observed in cell culture systems can support the
beneficial effect of specific diets such as eating grapes," cautions
Marambaud.
|
Read Red Wine and Cancer
Prevention by the American Cancer Institute below this article. |
|
"Resveratrol in grapes may never reach the
concentrations required to obtain the effect observed in our studies.
Grapes and wine however contain more than 600 different components,
including well-characterized antioxidant molecules. Therefore, we cannot
exclude the possibility that several compounds work in synergy with
small amounts of resveratrol to slow down the progression of the
neurodegenerative process in humans."
Following up on their studies, Marambaud and his
colleagues are trying to figure out how resveratrol exerts its effects
in order to develop similar compounds to use in fighting Alzheimer's
disease.
"Our long-term goal is now to elucidate the exact
molecular mechanisms involved in the beneficial properties of
resveratrol as a necessary prerequisite to the identification of novel
molecular targets and therapeutic approaches," says Marambaud.
"The observation that resveratrol has a strong
anti-amyloidogenic activity is a powerful starting point for screening
analogues of resveratrol for more active and more stable compounds, a
task in which our laboratory is actively involved. We have already
obtained analogues of resveratrol that are 20 times more potent than the
original natural compound. We are now aiming to find more stable
analogues and to test them in vivo in mice."
Additional good news is that resveratrol may also
be effective in fighting other human amyloid-related diseases such as
Huntington's, Parkinson's and prion diseases. Studies by a group at the
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale in Paris,
France headed by Christian Néri have recently shown that resveratrol may
protect neurons against amyloid-like polyglutamines, a hallmark of
Huntington's disease.
About Source:
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology (ASBMB) is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization
with over 11,000 members in the United States and internationally. Most
members teach and conduct research at colleges and universities. Others
conduct research in various government laboratories, nonprofit research
institutions, and industry.
Founded in 1906, the Society is based in Bethesda,
Maryland, on the campus of the Federation of American Societies for
Experimental Biology. The Society's primary purpose is to advance the
sciences of biochemistry and molecular biology through its publications,
the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the Journal of Lipid Research,
Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, and Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology Education, and the holding of scientific meetings.
For more information about ASBMB, see the Society's
website at
www.asbmb.org.
Red Wine and Cancer Prevention: Questions and
Answers
By National Cancer Institute
Red wine is a rich source of biologically active
phytochemicals, chemicals found in plants. Particular compounds called
polyphenols found in red wine-such as catechins and resveratrol-are
thought to have anti oxidant or anti cancer properties.
1. What are polyphenols and how do they prevent
cancer?
Polyphenols are antioxidant compounds found in the
skin and seeds of grapes. When wine is made from these grapes, the
alcohol produced by the fermentation process dissolves the polyphenols
contained in the skin and seeds. Red wine contains more polyphenols than
white wine because the making of white wine requires the removal of the
skins after the grapes are crushed. The phenols in red wine include
catechin, gallic acid and epicatechin.
Polyphenols have been found to have antioxidant
properties. Antioxidants are substances that protect cells from
oxidative damage caused by molecules called free radicals. These
chemicals can damage important parts of cells, including proteins,
membranes and DNA. Cellular damage caused by free radicals has been
implicated in the development of cancer. Research on the antioxidants
found in red wine has shown that they may help inhibit the development
of certain cancers.
2. What is resveratrol and how does it prevent
cancer?
Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol called a
phytoalexin, a class of compounds produced as part of a plant's defense
system against disease. It is produced in the plant in response to an
invading fungus, stress, injury, infection or ultraviolet irradiation.
Red wine contains high levels of resveratrol, as do grapes, raspberries,
peanuts and other plants.
Resveratrol has been shown to reduce tumor
incidence in animals by affecting one or more stages of cancer
development. It has been shown to inhibit growth of many types of cancer
cells in culture. Evidence also exists that it can reduce inflammation.
It also reduces activation of NF kappa B, a protein produced by the
body's immune system when it is under attack. This protein affects
cancer cell growth and metastasis. Resveratrol is also an antioxidant.
3. What have red wine studies found?
The cell and animal studies of red wine have
examined effects in several cancers including leukemia, skin, breast and
prostate cancers. Scientists are studying resveratrol to learn more
about its cancer preventive activities. Recent evidence from animal
studies suggests this anti-inflammatory compound may be an effective
chemopreventive agent in three stages of the cancer process: initiation,
promotion and progression.
However, studies of the association between red
wine consumption and cancer in humans are in their initial stages.
Although consumption of large amounts of alcoholic beverages may
increase the risk of some cancers, there is growing evidence that the
health benefits of red wine are related to its nonalcoholic components.
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
