Resveratrol's Effects in Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most important public health burdens, and its prevalence has rapidly increased worldwide over the past decades. One of the most important complications of DM is nephropathy.

Resveratrol (3, 5, 4'-trihydroxystilbene) is a natural polyphenolic compound belongs to the large group of polyphenols found in different plant species. The richest natural source of resveratrol is Polygonum cuspidatum - a plant root extract of which have been used in oriental folk medicine. Considerable amounts of resveratrol were also found in skin of red grapes, peanuts, groundnuts, and red vine.

Resveratrol is considered to have beneficial effects on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, the cardiovascular system, as it has been found to improve vasodilatation, ischaemic preconditioning, both of which seem to be the result of the activation of the endothelial NO synthase enzyme, and to inhibit both platelet aggregation and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. Resveratrol itself is an efficient antioxidant, as evidenced by both in vitro and in vivo studies, and, it has also been shown to improve diabetes-related impairments in animals.

We hypothesized that resveratrol may have a favorable effects on control of diabetic nephropathy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and effects of resveratrol in treatment of diabetic nephropathy.