Resveratrol may inhibit muscle loss triggered by hormones and inflammation

November 07, 2005

Skeletal muscle is muscle that you can voluntarily control - such as your bicep muscle. Angiotensin I and Angiotensin II are well known hormones that cause blood vessels to constrict and raise blood pressure (whole classes of medication used to treat high blood pressure work by controlling these hormones). Angiotensin is also suspected to cause some cases of breast cancer and may also be implicated in prostate cancer.

Angiotensin I and II have been shown to directly cause a breakdown in muscle (skeletal muscle) In this study, researchers show that activation of the inflammatory immune system chemical NF-Kappa B is involved in the loss of muscle and that Angiotensin I and II trigger this increased muscle degradation activity by NF-Kappa-B. Resveratrol inhibited the muscle wasting activity triggered by Angiotensin I and II by blocking the accumulation of NF-Kappa B in the cells of the muscle. The study is published in the early online edition of journal Cellular Signaling, October 26th, 2005 ahead of print.

Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

Hopefully none of us will encounter an agent as destructive as mustard gas, but it is good for us to note that these particular antioxidants are very lung friendly and that available oral supplement levels have shown protective activity in research.

Resveratrol may be useful in Multiple Myeloma

Osteoblasts are cells that build bone and osteoclasts are cells that breakdown bone. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow at multiple sites that eventually causes bone pain and fractures. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. Plasma cells are the cells of the immune system that create antibodies to infection.

As the cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow, they stimulate bone destruction by osteoclasts and reduce bone formation by osteoblasts. The changing environment in the bone improves the survival of the cancerous myeloma cells.

Resveratrol is reported to have antitumor activity on a number of human cancers. Adding Resveratrol to different myeloma cell lines reduced their growth and the higher the dosage of Resveratrol the greater the growth of the cancerous plasma cells was inhibited. The Resveratrol actually caused the cancerous cells to die. Resveratrol inhibits NF-Kappa B in culture and NF-Kappa B is involved with the break down of bone in multiple myeloma.

Resveratrol improves levels of proteins that work with osteoblasts within bone marrow to build bone and improves the sensitivity of osteoblasts to vitamin D's bone building activity. Taken together the researchers state that Resveratrol deserves attention as a potential drug for treating multiple myeloma (a currently poorly treatable condition).The study appears in the November 1st, 2005 issue of the journal Cancer Research.