For a number of years, scientists have known that resveratrol acts as an anti-cancer agent, but its role has not been well understood. Mayo and his team demonstrated that cancer cells treated with resveratrol died because they became sensitive to a compound called Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNFa). The U.Va. Health System researchers found that resveratrol initiated a reaction in the NF-kB molecule that caused the cancer cells essentially to self-destruct in a process called apoptosis.The use of NF-kB inhibitors like resveratrol also has important implications for increasing the effectiveness of cancer therapy. Researchers are always looking for ways to improve cancer therapy, Mayo said. Current studies are using compounds similar to TNFa in conjunction with resveratrol to kill cancer cells. Clinical trials using this approach in patients are showing encouraging results, Mayo said, and this research may explain why this combined therapy is effective.Previous studies have also shown that resveratrol can help control atherosclerosis, heart disease, arthritis, and autoimmune disorders. Mayo believes the inhibition of NF-kB may be responsible in those disorders, as well, since NF-kB can control inflammatory responses.

Mayo ™s research on resveratrol was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the Paul Mellon Prostate Cancer Institute.