Potential of resveratrol in the treatment of heart failure

The concept of food has expanded beyond its traditional role of survival and hunger satisfaction, to include a role in the prevention and treatment of disease. Polyphenols are classes of compounds that are synthesized by plants to serve a wide variety of functions including growth pollination and defense. These compounds have recently received increased attention in medical research. In this group, one of the most studied has been resveratrol (3,5,4,-trihydroxystilbene), a polyphenol, which is found predominantly in grapes and berries. Over the past two decades, researchers have studied the ability of resveratrol to prevent or reverse the development of abnormalities in heart structure and function in animal models of heart disease and heart failure. The results from animal studies have been promising, and very recently, this knowledge has been translated into examining the efficacy of resveratrol in humans with heart disease/failure. In this review we will discuss the current status of resveratrol research on cardioprotection.