Scientists in Scotland and Singapore claim that they have discovered the mechanism through which resveratrol, the powerful phenol and anti-oxidant, counteracts the inflammatory process.  The research was published in the August, 2009 FASEB journal and discusses how resvertrol could potentially control inflammatory processes such as appendicitis, sepsis and peritonitis.

A senior lecturer at the Glasgow Biomedical Research Center in Scotland recounts that sepsis is a very difficult condition to treat and can be fatal.  The infection can affect multiple organ systems and for this reason, can result in a very low quality of life.  The researchers were searching for innovative therapies that might suppress strong and acute inflammatory processes.

Scientists administered an inflammatory agent to two pairs of mice.  One group was pretreated with resveratrol while the other was not.  The non-treated group had a very strong inflammatory response whereas the pre- treated group had minimal or no inflammatory response.

The mice tissues were later examined to investigate how the resveratrol protected the body from inflammation.  Researchers discovered that the compound prevented the body from creating two key molecules that are known to trigger an inflammatory response, sphingosine kinase and phospholipase D.  While this study was performed in animals, it is hoped that resveratrol may be used in humans someday to counteract the damage inflicted through inflammation.

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Tags: inflammation, Resveratrol