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Lee Swanson Research Update
Red Wine Antioxidant Resveratrol May Help Kill Pancreatic Cancer Cells
April 2008
The antioxidant resveratrol, found in grape skins and red wine, can cripple the function of pancreatic cancer cells while sensitizing them to chemotherapy, according to new research.
Previous research has found that resveratrol helps prevent the negative effects of high-calorie diets and has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer potential.
Besides disabling the function of the cancer cells by reaching and reacting with the mitochondria (the cell’s energy source), researchers found that when they were pre-treated with resveratrol before being irradiated, it resulted in a type of cell death called apoptosis. This is an important goal of cancer therapy.
“Antioxidant research is very active and very seductive right now,” said researcher Paul Okunieff, chief of radiation oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “The challenge lies in finding the right concentration and how it works inside the cell. Resveratrol seems to have a therapeutic gain by making tumor cells more sensitive to radiation and making normal tissue less sensitive.” To build on such findings, Okunieff began studying resveratrol as a tumor sensitizer, which is when the link to the mitochondria was uncovered.
Researchers divided pancreatic cancer cells into two groups: cells treated without resveratrol then iodized, and ones treated with resveratrol at a relatively high dose of 50 mg per ml before being iodized.
The amount of resveratrol in red wine can vary between types of grapes and growing seasons, and ranges can be as high as 30 mg per ml. But the researchers said higher doses are expected to be safe as long as a physician monitors the patient.
The study found that resveratrol reduced the function of proteins in the pancreatic cancer cell membranes responsible for pumping chemotherapy out of the cell, therefore making them more sensitive to the treatment.
Additionally, the antioxidant triggered the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing apoptosis, and depolarized the mitochondrial membranes, indicating a decrease in the cell’s potential to function.
The researchers said the discovery is important because the mitochondria contains its own DNA and can continuously supply the cell with energy when functioning fully. Stopping the energy flow can therefore help stop cancer.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 614:179-186, 2008
