Resveratrol For Cancer Prevention

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and one of the main causes of cancer death entire the world.

Environmental, dietary, and lifestyle factors including red meat consumption, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake and family history are the most important risk factors of CRC.

Multiple pathways including inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis are involved in its incidence and progression. Resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound, has different pharmacologic functions including anti-inflammation, cancer prevention, lipid-lowering effect, and hypoglycemic effect.

Many studies have proved that resveratrol might also represent a chemo preventive effect on CRC.

A recent in vitro study demonstrated that resveratrol in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a chemotherapeutic drug, increased the effects of 5-FU via its effects as an anti-metastasis drug on CRC. It was prominent that 5-FU resistant cells were more susceptible to resveratrol illustrating a potential therapeutic strategy for 5-FU resistant CRC [21]. Previous studies also reported that resveratrol increases the anti-cancer activities of the chemotherapeutic agent, oxaliplatin, in cell culture model of CRC. Resveratrol can synergistically increase the effects of oxaliplatin in tumor cell growth suppression.

Given that resveratrol is not considered as primary therapy in the treatment of cancer. Multiple lines evidence indicated that resveratrol could be employed as the secondary line of therapy and primary line cancer therapies alongside resveratrol show significant results.

In this regards, a wide ranges of studies confirmed that resveratrol with radiotherapy approaches or chemotherapies could be provided a good therapeutic regimen in the treatment of cancer patients.

A recent in vitro study demonstrated that resveratrol in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a chemotherapeutic drug, increased the effects of 5-FU via its effects as an anti-metastasis drug on CRC.

It was prominent that 5-FU resistant cells were more susceptible to resveratrol illustrating a potential therapeutic strategy for 5-FU resistant CRC. Previous studies also reported that resveratrol increases the anti-cancer activities of the chemotherapeutic agent, oxaliplatin, in cell culture model of CRC. Resveratrol can synergistically increase the effects of oxaliplatin in tumor cell growth suppression.

References:

Kaminski BM, Weigert A, Scherzberg MC, Ley S, Gilbert B, Brecht K, et al. Resveratrol-induced potentiation of the antitumor effects of oxaliplatin is accompanied by an altered cytokine profile of human monocyte-derived macrophages. Apoptosis. 2014;19:113647.Return to ref 22 in article
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Carter LG, D'Orazio JA, Pearson KJ. Resveratrol and cancer: focus on in vivo evidence. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2014;21(3):R20925.
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Jiang Z, Chen K, Cheng L, Yan B, Qian W, Cao J, et al. Resveratrol and cancer treatment: updates. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2017;1403:5969.