Resveratrol, a polyphenol present in red wine, has received much attention lately because of its putative preventive role in the purported link between moderate red wine consumption and lower incidence of neurological disorders such as dementia and stroke. Numerous animal and in vitro studies have shown that this polyphenol is neuroprotective and can reverse various types of cognitive deficits. However, the mechanism(s) of action involved in the multiple effects of resveratrol is not fully understood. In a recent article by Sakata and colleagues in Experimental Neurology (Sakata, Y., Zhuang, H., Kwansa, H., Koehler, R.C., Doré, S., 2010. Resveratrol protects against experimental stroke: putative neuroprotective role of heme oxygenase 1. Exp. Neurol. 224, 325-329.), the authors raise a hypothesis that the induction of heme oxygenase 1, an endogenous enzyme that provides resistance against oxidative stress-related neuronal damage, contributes, at least in part, to the neuroprotective action of resveratrol. Our brief commentary summarizes recent findings on intracellular pathways possibly involved in the effects of a multi-functional molecule, such as resveratrol, and highlights their relevance in various age-related neurological disorders.
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