It has previously been shown that resveratrol improves diabetes when delivered orally to rodents, but little has been known about how these beneficial changes are mediated in the body.

A study now shows that the brain plays a key role in mediating resveratrol's anti-diabetic actions, potentially paving the way for future orally-delivered diabetes treatments that target the brain.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol antioxidant found in red grape skins and red wine, and is also available as a supplement.

Image: Resveratrol molecules.

Resveratrol is the most potent natural compound able to activate sirtuins, a class of proteins that are thought to underlie many of the beneficial effects of calorie restriction. Previous studies in mice have provided compelling evidence that when sirtuins are activated by resveratrol, diabetes is improved. Sirtuin activators are now being tested in humans as compounds for diabetes treatment.

Sirtuins are expressed virtually everywhere throughout the body and until now, little has been known about what tissues mediate resveratrol's beneficial effects. Knowing where in the body the beneficial effects of activated sirtuins are mediated could help in the development of more effective targeted diabetes treatments.

Sirtuins are expressed in parts of the brain known to govern glucose metabolism, so the researchers hypothesized that the brain could be mediating resveratrol's anti-diabetic actions. To test the hypothesis, they assessed the metabolic consequences of delivering resveratrol directly into the brain of mice with diabetes. They found that resveratrol did activate sirtuins in the brain of the diabetic mice which resulted in improving their high levels of blood sugar and insulin.

"These findings may lead to new strategies in the fight against type 2 diabetes," said Roberto Coppari, co-author of the study.

Related Articles


Risk of Certain Kinds of Cancers Increased in Women with Diabetes Type 2 adult-onset diabetes causes insulin-like hormones to circulate through the body. A new study finds this has a surprisingly positive effect on reducing the rate of prostate cancer in men,

Gastrointestinal Symptoms Associated With Diabetes There are several papers which report the association of gastrointestinal symptoms with diabetes. Epidemiological data regarding the association of gastrointestinal

Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes Continues to Rise at 3 Percent per Year The incidence of type 1 diabetes is now twice as high among children as it was in the 1980s, and 10 to 20 times more common than 100 years ago, according to

Researchers Reveal Mechanism Underlying Rare Form of Diabetes A new molecular mechanism that regulates specialized pancreatic cells and insulin secretion has been discovered. The mechanism involves a protein called ankyrin, and

Adult Onset Diabetes Slows Several Types of Mental Processing Adults with diabetes experience a slowdown in several types of mental processing, which appears early in the disease and persists into old age, according to new

References:
1. Roberto Coppari, et al. Central administration of resveratrol improves diet-induced diabetes. Endocrinology. The Endocrine Society.

Add comment

User Name (Required)

E-mail (Required - Never shown publicly)

Website (Optional)

Notify me of follow-up comments

If you cannot read the code click to refresh for a new code.

Add comment

Cancel