Dietary trans-resveratrol bioavailability and effect on CCl4-induced liver lipid peroxidation

Several in vitro studies have demonstrated the ability of pure trans-resveratrol (t-Res) to act as an anti-oxidant, but the scientific literature is lacking in in vivo studies dealing with dietary t-Res bioavailability in oxidative stress models. Our aim was to investigate the bioavailability of t-Res from dietary sources and its effect on an animal model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver lipid peroxidation.

Ten rats were intragastrically administered for 14 days with a grape-stalk extract determining a daily t-Res dosage of 3 mg/kg. The control group (10 rats) was daily injected with the vehicle solvent without the t-Res extract. After 1 week, the induction of liver lipid peroxidation by CCl4 injection was carried out. Serum and liver samples, at different time intervals, were collected to evaluate t-Res content, by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectometry-mass spectometry (LC-MS-MS). Liver malondialdehyde (MDA) as marker of oxidative stress was measured.

t-Res accumulates in the liver reaching 49.8 +/- 10.2 ng/g after 7 days and 191.8 +/- 15.3 ng/g after 14 days. No t-Res was detected in serum. The increase of MDA liver concentration due to CCl4 injection after 24 h and 1 week was reduced by 38% and a 63%, respectively, by the treatment with the t-Res extract.

A moderate consumption of t-Res from a dietary source resulted in a time-dose-dependent liver accumulation. It was able to counteract in vivo CCl4-induced liver lipid peroxidation thus demonstrating the hepatoprotective property of t-Res.