Effects of red wine and its compounds on cardiac and endothelial function in human tissue

Although beneficial effects of red wine and its polyphenols have been described, data on direct effects on pulmonary arteries and human myocardium are sparse, and claims remain controversial given well-known alcohol-related harms.

This study investigated acute and subacute effects of red wine, dealcoholized red wine and key polyphenols (trans/cis-resveratrol, caffeic acid, gallic acid) on human atrial and ventricular myocardium and pulmonary arteries.

In human atrial trabeculae and failing left ventricular slices from heart transplant recipients (n = 6), polyphenols increased developed force significantly (+39% caffeic acid, +27% gallic acid, +17% trans-resveratrol, +10% cis-resveratrol; control -34%, p < 0.05) and red wine (10-4: +18%) compared with control (-23%, p < 0.0001), without affecting diastolic properties or inducing arrhythmias. In failing human left ventricular myocardium, twitch amplitude increased over 7 days with alcoholic and dealcoholized red wine (p = 0.0177) compared with control, while preserving the negative force-frequency relationship and post-rest potentiation. In preconstricted human pulmonary arteries, red wines induced a rapid, sustained 80% relaxation independent of ethanol content. L-NAME reduced human pulmonary artery relaxation from 59% to 28% (p < 0.05), confirming partial endothelial nitric-oxide mediation.

Red wine and its bioactive compounds exert robust dual inotropic and pulmonary vasodilatory actions independent of alcohol. Dealcoholized red wine as an adjunctive strategy may represent a promising avenue toward integrated cardiopulmonary therapy in heart failure and precapillary pulmonary hypertension. A clinical trial (DARE-WINE-PH, DRKS00035605) is underway to validate acute haemodynamic effects in patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension.