The janus face of resveratrol in astroglial cells

Astroglial cells are key modulators of neuropathology events. Resveratrol, a redox-active compound present in grapes and wine, has a wide range of biological effects. The aim of this study was to investigate whether resveratrol is able to prevent hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-induced oxidative damage in C6 astroglial cells. We found that following a short oxidative insult (Model I-1 mM H(2)O(2)/30 min), resveratrol increased glutamate uptake (60%), glutamine synthetase (GS) (139%), glutathione (GSH) (120%), and S100B secretion (24%); and attenuated DCFH oxidation (34%) as compared to H(2)O(2) values. Under less intense (0.1 mM H(2)O(2)), but lasting (6 h) insult (Model II), resveratrol had an opposite effect, potentiating the H(2)O(2)-induced decrease in glutamate uptake (from 34 to 63%), in GS (from 22 to 50%), in GSH (from 22 to 54%), and also potentiating DCFH oxidation (from 24 to 38%). The transcription factor, NF-kappaB, was activated in both models. Cell morphology alterations were also observed in the presence of H(2)O(2) with process-bearing cells, accompanied by cell body retraction and actin reorganization. This effect was not prevented by resveratrol, but was prevented by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a specific upstream positive regulator of Rho A. In summary, these findings showed that resveratrol, a redox-active compound, was able to modulate important neurotrophic function of astroglial cells under different oxidative conditions.