The Effects of Resveratrol on Sirtuins and Apoptosis Biomarkers

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and neoplasms are the main causes of death in Brazilian women. Coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke were responsible for approximately 54% of deaths from CVD in this population. In Brazil, cancers were the second cause of death and in 2017 were responsible for 58% of deaths in women. CVD and cancer share some risk factors, and control of these factors is associated with a significant reduction in cancer incidence. These two causes of death, although apparently disparate, share similar lifestyles and health risk factors, suggesting some common pathways and basic molecular networks. In women, the presence of estrogen has protective effects against atherosclerosis and, with the decline in hormone production at menopause, the incidence and prevalence of CAD increase substantially. Although the estrogen pathway is supposed to have a central effect on this increased risk, it is still debated whether other non-estrogenic mechanisms are related, since hormone replacement alone does not reduce cardiovascular events. Sirtuins and soluble advanced glycation product receptors (sRAGE) are associated with increased vascular protection, while the role of apoptosis inhibiting proteins, a pathway linked to increased cancer incidence, is still unclear in the context of atherosclerosis. Resveratrol is a key activator of sirtuins and potentially modulates these metabolic pathways, reducing cardiovascular risk. This randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled clinical trial will be carried out in 80 postmenopausal women with CAD to analyze the effect of treatment with resveratrol on serum concentration and gene expression of sirtuins-1 -3, in the serum sRAGE concentration and in the gene expression of apoptosis inhibitory proteins.