French are real lover boys thanks to the consumption of red wine. Resveratrol, an antioxidant polyphenol found in red wine, red grapes and pomace (winemaking residue), has been proved by many researches to boost heart health, erection and to impede prostate cancer and tooth decay, while also hampering bacterial infections. A new Rochester study published in the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology explained for the first time how resveratrol can destroy pancreatic cancer cells by impairing the function of the mitochondria.

Pancreatic cancer exposed to resveratrol and irradiated entered into apoptosis (cell death), the main aim of cancer therapy. This research comes amid the debate whether antioxidants do protect against tumors. This study shows not only that the resveratrol harms malignant cells, but also it protects healthy tissue from the negative effects of radiation.

"The challenge lies in finding the right concentration and how it works inside the cell. Resveratrol seems to have a therapeutic gain by making tumor cells more sensitive to radiation and making normal tissue less sensitive," said lead author Dr. Paul Okunieff, chief of Radiation Oncology at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

In plants, resveratrol hampers bacterial and fungal attacks. The chemical has been described as potential anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic agent, being at the same time able to control cell growth. Besides polyphenols, natural antioxidants are also caffeine, flavonoids and vitamins C and E. This is a first research showing how an antioxidant works at cellular level. The link to the mitochondria shows that this antioxidant stops the energy flow in the cancer cells, killing them.

The team exposed pancreatic cancer cells taht were irradiated without resveratrol, or with resveratrol, at a relatively high dose of 50 mg/ml (red wine has up to 30 mg of resveratrol per ml).

The results showed that resveratrol decreased the activity of proteins in the pancreatic cancer cell membranes involved in expelling chemotherapy drugs out of the cell, turning them more sensitive to lower doses of medication.

The antioxidant also boosted the synthesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS), chemicals involved in diseases: high ROS levels kill cells via intense oxidation; this seemed to be the reason why apoptosis emerged. Reseveratrol also depolarized the mitochondrial membranes, blocking their functioning. Radiation alone is not that effective in stopping the mitochondria.
Pancreatic cancer cells are extremely resistant to chemotherapy, as they are specialized in secreting products (insulin and digestive enzymes) and their cell pumps are extremely efficient in expelling therapy chemicals out of the cells. By impairing the mitochondria, reseveratrol stops the pumps, which require energy for their functioning.