Resveratrol has antagonist activity on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor: implications for prevention of dioxin toxicity

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands such as dioxin and benzo[a]pyrene are environmental contaminants with many adverse health effects, including immunosuppression, carcinogenesis, and endothelial cell damage. We show here that a wine component, resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene), is a competitive antagonist of dioxin and other AhR ligands. Resveratrol promotes AhR translocation to the nucleus and binding to DNA at dioxin-responsive elements but subsequent transactivation does not take place. Resveratrol inhibits the transactivation of several dioxin-inducible genes including cytochrome P-450 1A1 and interleukin-1beta, both ex vivo and in vivo. Resveratrol has adequate potency and nontoxicity to warrant clinical testing as a prophylactic agent against aryl hydrocarbon-induced pathology.