Resveratrol Inhibits Breast Cancer Growth

BETHESDA, Md.Drinking a glass of resveratrol-rich red wine may stop breast cancer cells from growing by blocking the growth effects of estrogen, according to a new study published in The FASEB Journal.

The findings suggest resveratrol can counteract the malignant progression since it inhibits the proliferation of hormone resistant breast cancer cells. This has important implications for the treatment of women with breast cancer whose tumors eventually develop resistance to hormonal therapy.

Researchers at the University of Calabria in Italy used several breast cancer cell lines expressing the estrogen receptor to test the effects of resveratrol. They treated the different cells with resveratrol and compared their growth with cells left untreated. They found an important reduction in cell growth in cells treated by resveratrol, while no changes were seen in untreated cells. Additional experiments revealed the effect was related to a drastic reduction of estrogen receptor levels caused by resveratrol itself.