Resveratrol: Impact on Reproduction
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1
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Pharmacology, Greece
Resveratrol is a phytoestrogen found in the skin of red grapes. It binds to estrogen receptors, although with much weaker affinity than estradiol, and it may disrupt the endocrine system by acting as an estrogen receptor agonist or mixed agonist/antagonist. There is evidence that resveratrol can affect the development of the reproductive system, although the available data are controversial. Exposure of adult female rats to resveratrol has been reported to cause ovarian hypertrophy, menstrual cycle abnormalities and altered sociosexual behavior. Exposure of female rats to resveratrol during lactation has been reported to increase ovarian weight and decrease body weight, while exposure of male rats to resveratrol during lactation decreases plasma testosterone levels and seminal vesicle weight, increases testicular weight, alters sociosexual behavior and causes changes in cerebral development. Other studies have indicated no effects on spermatogenesis and sperm quality, on the morphology of the ovaries, and on fertility of mice exposed to resveratrol during gestation, lactation, puberty and adulthood. Studies on the action of resveratrol on mouse Leydig tumor cells have shown that resveratrol affects steroidogenesis by decreasing cAMP-stimulated progesterone secretion and steroidogenic acute regulatory mRNA expression. There is evidence that resveratrol prevents carcinogenesis, protects the brain from beta-amyloid neurotoxicity and slows-down the progression of cardiovascular disease. Despite these beneficial actions, further studies are necessary in order to investigate its potential detrimental effects on the human reproductive system during crucial periods of its development.
Keywords:
resveratrol,
estrogen disruptors,
Fertility,
grapes
Conference:
8th Southeast European Congress on Xenobiotic Metabolism and Toxicity - XEMET 2010, Thessaloniki, Greece, 1 Oct - 5 Oct, 2010.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Xenobiotics and reproduction
Citation:
Kara
E and
Papaioannidou
P
(2010). Resveratrol: Impact on Reproduction.
Front. Pharmacol.
Conference Abstract:
8th Southeast European Congress on Xenobiotic Metabolism and Toxicity - XEMET 2010.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fphar.2010.60.00138
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Received:
28 Oct 2010;
Published Online:
04 Nov 2010.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Paraskevi Papaioannidou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Pharmacology, Thessaloniki, Greece, ppap@auth.gr