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Abstract: Resveratrol, a naturally occurring compound of various fruits such as grapes, is thought to possess chemopreventive properties. The levels of resveratrol in grapes and grape products including wine, varies from region to region and from one year to another. This paper reviews the resveratrol content in red wine based on relevant published data. Red wine contains an average of 1.9±1.7mg trans-resveratrol/l (8.2±7.5μM), ranging from non-detectable levels to 14.3mg/l (62.7μM) trans-resveratrol. In general, wines made from grapes of the Pinot Noir and St. Laurent varieties showed the highest level of trans-resveratrol. No region can be said to produce wines with significantly higher level of trans-resveratrol than all other regions. Levels of cis-resveratrol follow the same trend as trans-resveratrol. The average level of trans-resveratrol-glucoside (trans-piceid) in a red wine may be as much as 29.2mg/l (128.1μM), i.e., three times that of trans-resveratrol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: αB-crystallin is a chaperone protein and a potential myelin antigen to human T cells in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In this study we investigate the existence of αB-crystallin in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with clinical symptoms of MS and control individuals without these symptoms, using a newly developed αB-crystallin specific chicken antibody. Methods: A chicken anti-αB-crystallin was raised against recombinant αB-crystallin, characterized and used in a semi-quantitative Western blot analysis of CSF from 16 MS patients and 16 neurological patients without MS. Results: Western blot analysis revealed the presence of high molecular weight αB-crystallin in CSF. Possibly posttranslationally modified aggregates of αB-crystallin were found in human astroglioma U373 cells. CSF αB-crystallin was seen in the CSF in 100% of MS patients and 88% of neurological controls without MS. Conclusion: αB-crystallin is present in the CSF in patients with MS and other neurological controls. Furthermore, αB-crystallin in CSF and human astroglioma cell line U373 is found in aggregates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Resveratrol (Resv), a natural polyphenol, is suggested to have various health benefits including improved insulin sensitivity. Resv activates Sirtuin (Sirt1) in several species and tissues. Sirt1 is a protein deacetylase with an important role in ageing, metabolism and β-cell function. In insulinoma β-cells (INS-1E), Resv is previously shown to improve glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in a Sirt1-dependent mechanism and to protect against β-cell dedifferentiation in non-human primates, while inducing hypertrophy in myoblasts. Mammalian (mechanistic) Target of Rapamycin (mTOR), is a key regulator of cellular metabolism and regulates the cell size, β-cell survival and proliferation. In order to understand the interaction of Sirt1 and mTOR cascade activity with Resv-induced changes in the INS-1E cell line, we generated stable Sirt1-down-regulated INS-1E cells, and analysed Sirt1-dependent effects of Resv with respect to mTOR cascade activity. Sirt1-knockdown (KD) had a significant increase in cell size compared to negative-control (NEG CTR) cells. Resveratrol treatment increased cell size in both cell types in a dose-dependent manner at 24 h (Resv conc: 15–60 μM), and decreased the cell number (Resv conc: 30–60 μM). Cell area was increased in NEG CTR cells (Resv conc: 60 μM) at 24 h and KD cells at 48 h (Resv conc: 15–60 μM). Rapamycin, a specific mTOR inhibitor, counteracted the Resv-induced cell enlargement (both cell diameter and area). Furthermore, Sirt1-downregulation by itself did not affect the mTOR cascade activities as measured by Western blotting for total and phosphorylated Akt and mTOR. Rapamycin decreased the mTORC1 activity, while increasing the pAkt levels. Resveratrol did not interfere with the mTOR activity or with Sirt1 expression. Altogether, this work indicates that Sirt1 is a negative regulator of cell size. Moreover, the effect of Resv on cell size increase is mTOR-cascade dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteocytes are considered the primary mechanosensors of bone, but the signaling pathways they apply in mechanotransduction are still incompletely investigated and characterized. A growing body of data strongly indicates that P2 receptor signaling among osteoblasts and osteoclasts has regulatory effects on bone remodeling. Therefore, we hypothesized that ATP signaling is also applied by osteocytes in mechanotransduction. We applied a short fluid pulse on MLO-Y4 osteocyte-like cells during real-time detection of ATP and demonstrated that mechanical stimulation activates the acute release of ATP and that these acute ATP signals are fine-tuned according to the magnitude of loading. ATP release was then challenged by pharmacological inhibitors, which indicated a vesicular release pathway for acute ATP signals. Finally, we showed that osteocytes express functional P2X2 and P2X7 receptors and respond to even low concentrations of nucleotides by increasing intracellular calcium concentration. These results indicate that in osteocytes, vesicular ATP release is an acute mediator of mechanical signals and the magnitude of loading. These and previous results, therefore, implicate purinergic signaling as an early signaling pathway in osteocyte mechanotransduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]