How Does Resveratrol Change Some Metabolic and Circulatory Parameters? A Preliminary Study* Zmiany niektórych wskaźników krążenia i metabolicznych wywołane przez resveratrol - badanie wstępne

Objectives. Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol present in red wine and various foods. The aim of this study was to investigate its effects on body weight, several biochemical parameters, blood pressure, and heart rate in rats. Material and Methods. In this preliminary study, rats were divided into two equal groups according to body weight (n = 20 each) to investigate the effects of resveratrol on two different weight groups, one relatively higher than the other. The first group constituted 10− to 12−week−old male Sprague−Dawley rats with a mean body weight of 235 g and the second rats weighing approximately 284 g. Both groups were divided into control (n = 10) and experimental (n = 10) groups. In the two experimental groups, resveratrol was administered (20 mg/kg) in drink− ing water for 24 weeks. After one week of training, systolic arterial blood pressure and heart rate were recorded in all the groups. Changes due to resveratrol administration in body weight and blood glucose, total cholesterol, aspar− tate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma−glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and uric acid (UA) levels were compared with the controls. Results. There were statistically significant decreases in weight gain, total cholesterol, and blood pressure in both experimental groups. In the lighter group, ALT level (p = 0.003) and in the heavier ALP (p = 0.049) and UA lev− els (p = 0.030) were decreased slightly compared with the controls. Conclusions. The results suggest that resveratrol ameliorated total cholesterol levels and decreased body weights with subsequent changes in systolic blood pressure while not leading to any deterioration in biochemical parame− ters (Adv Clin Exp Med 2009, 18, 4, 323-328).