Is resveratrol, found in red wine, protective against heart and circulatory problems caused by obesity?

A novel mode of action for resveratrol: studies assessing the role of protein thiol oxidation

Dr Joseph Burgoyne, based at King’s College London, has been awarded an Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellowship grant totalling nearly £320,000 over 4 years. His aim is to understand the actions of a naturally occurring molecule called resveratrol, which is thought to have beneficial effects on the heart and circulatory system. Resveratrol, found in red wine, is a type of molecule called a ‘polyphenol’. It is reported to have health-promoting and disease-combatting properties. However, how it exerts these effects on the body is not fully known. Dr Burgoyne will use the fellowship funding to establish the effects of resveratrol on a specific protein found in cells, called PKG1alpha. He will look at how resveratrol affects PKG1alpha and its function. He will also study mice that have been fed a high calorie diet with and without resveratrol, to see if this affects their heart and blood vessel health.