Resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound in red wine, protects against oxidized LDL-induced cytotoxicity in endothelial cells.

Abstract Background Resveratrol, a polyphenolic constituent of red wine, has antioxidant effects. However, its protective effects against oxLDL-induced endothelial injury remained unclarified. Methods Primary human umbilical vein endothelial cell cultures (HUVECs) treated with oxLDL (200 μg/ml) were used to explore the protective effect of resveratrol. Cytotoxicity of oxLDL on HUVECs was studied by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) and apoptotic cell death as characterized by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) stain. We also measured the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by using the fluorescnet probe 2′, 7′-dichlorofluorescein acetoxymethyl ester (DCF-AM), and observed the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, several apoptotic signaling pathway with increased cytosolic calcium, alteration of mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release and activation of caspase 3 were also investigated. Results Resveratrol attenuated oxLDL-induced cytotoxicity, apoptotic features, generation of ROS and intracellular calcium accumulation. OxLDL-induced mitochondria membrane potential collapase, cytochrome c release and activation of caspase 3 in HUVECs were also suppressed by resveratrol pretreatment. Conclusions Red wine intake may protect against oxLDL-induced dysfunction of endothelial cells.