Is red wine a SAFE sip away from cardioprotection? Mechanisms involved in resveratrol- and melatonin-induced cardioprotection.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Ex vivo animal tissue model (no human data)
PubMed 21342247 · doi:10.1111/j.1600-079X.2010.00853.x
What was done
Researchers investigated whether concentrations of melatonin (75 ng/L) and resveratrol (2.3 mg/L) found in red wine protect against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Isolated perfused hearts from male Wistar rats and wild-type, TNFα receptor 2 knockout, and cardiomyocyte-specific STAT3-deficient mice were perfused with either compound for 15 minutes followed by a 10-minute washout before ischemia-reperfusion. Infarct size and pre-ischemic STAT3 phosphorylation via Western blot were measured.
What was found
In wild-type mouse hearts, both resveratrol and melatonin significantly reduced infarct size compared with control hearts (25 ± 3% and 25 ± 3% vs. 69 ± 3%, P < 0.001). This protective effect failed to occur in TNF receptor 2 knockout and STAT3-deficient mice. Pre-ischemic perfusion with melatonin or resveratrol significantly increased STAT3 phosphorylation by 79% and 50%, respectively (P < 0.001 vs. control).
Why it matters
This study identifies a specific molecular pathway—the survivor activating factor enhancement (SAFE) pathway involving TNFα and STAT3—mediating the cardioprotective effects of wine-associated compounds against ischemia-reperfusion injury in rodent hearts.
Limits
The study is entirely ex vivo using isolated rodent hearts, and the abstract does not report the total sample size (n). Direct coronary perfusion bypasses human oral bioavailability, gastrointestinal absorption, and hepatic metabolism, so the findings cannot be directly applied to human wine consumption.
Cited by
- supports The amount of resveratrol in red wine ranges from about 0.03 milligrams to 1 milligram per glass.