Therapeutic potential of resveratrol: novel biological and pharmacological perspectives

The application of natural occurring compounds in the treatment of human diseases has been increased in the recent decades due to the biocompatibility and pleiotropic impacts of these agents along with significant health-promoting effects. Among them, resveratrol has been shown to be of importance, since it can exert various biological and pharmacological activities. Moreover, resveratrol generally demonstrates good biosafety and biocompatibility that can further improve its application in clinical studies. In terms of biological activities, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of resveratrol has been of importance and they are useful in the prevention of diabetes and neurological diseases. The antioxidant activity of resveratrol can result from its function in enhancing levels of antioxidant factors such as catalase and superoxide dismutase, and reduction in ROS levels. Moreover, resveratrol can reduce inflammation and downregulate related pathways such as NF-κB. Beyond this, resveratrol has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of human diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cancer (suppressing tumorigenesis or acting as chemopreventive agent) and alleviation of neurological diseases, among others. Such protective impacts of resveratrol would be discussed in the current review with a focus on underlying molecular factors. In addition, nanoparticles have been significantly applied in the treatment of human disease through delivery of resveratrol and since pharmacokinetic profile of resveratrol is poor, the application of delivery systems can accelerate therapeutic index of this natural product. However, clinical application of resveratrol-loaded nanoparticles in the clinical level relies on the biocomaptibility and safety of these structures along with their efficacy.