Does resveratrol induce pharmacological preconditioning?

Resveratol is a grape component with complex pharmacology related to its an tioxidant activity Little is known about the direct effects of resveratrol on the myocardium. We tested whether resveratrol administration before isch emia could attenuate ischemic/reperfusion damage. We examined how resveratr ol affects high-energy phosphate metabolism P-31-nuclear magnetic resonance ) and contractility of isolated Langendorff perfused rat hearts subjected t o 20 min no-flow ischemia and 30 min reperfusion, During 10 min resveratrol infusion (10 mu M) before ischemia, basal phosphorylation potential droppe d by 40% (p < 0.05 vs. preinfusion value) without affecting contractility. The level of effluent adenosine was increased by 68%, parallel to a 50% inc rease in coronary flow Resveratrol significantly improved postischemic reco very of rate-pressure product (62 +/- 5.2 vs. 23 +/- 8.1% of controls; p < 0.05). The metabolic pattern following resveratrol infusion was similar to that produced by ischemic preconditioning, suggesting that an increase in a denosine availability is involved in cardioprotection.