Resveratrol prevents alcoholic fatty liver disease in mouse model

The October, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology reported the finding of researchers at the University of South Florida Health Sciences Center in Tampa of a protective effect for resveratrol against alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice. Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in grapes, red wine, peanuts and berries, has been associated with a growing number of benefits in laboratory studies, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer and positive cardiovascular effects.

Chronic alcohol consumption can cause fat to accumulate in the liver, and can lead to cirrhosis, fibrosis, and liver failure. Laboratory research has associated alcoholic fatty liver with the inhibition of two signaling molecules, sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), which regulate the liver’s fat metabolism pathways. Inactivation of these molecules allows fat to accumulate in the liver. Acting on the finding of previous experiments that identified resveratrol as an activator of SIRT1 and AMPK, Min You and colleagues fed mice low fat diets supplemented with or without ethanol (alcohol) and/or a low or high dose of resveratrol, and measured the expression of SIRT1 and AMPK in the animals’ livers. They confirmed that resveratrol activated SIRT1 and AMPK in the mice that received alcohol, which prevented fatty liver. Continue Reading