Abstract
Resveratrol (RES) is a polyphenol phytoalexin found in the skin and seeds of grapes, in wines, plant berries (blueberries, bilberries, mulberries, cranberries, and raspberries), soybeans, pomegranates, peanuts, pistachios, rhubarb, dried roots of the medicinal plant Polygonum cuspidatum, etc. RES has been reported to exert multiple biological (antioxidative, anti- inflammatory and immunomodulatory) activities and pharmacological (cardioprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-aging, neuroprotective, analgesic, anti-osteoarthritic, antimicrobial, chemopreventive, and anticancer) effects. Since RES has poor solubility, stability, absorption and bioavailability, a large number of RES derivatives have been synthesized to overcome these issues to achieve greater pharmacological and therapeutic effects. RES (trans-3,4’,5- trihydroxystilbene) and its structural analog, pterostilbene, are by far the two most widely researched stilbenes in terms of their beneficial bioactivities. This review highlights various aspects of RES and its analogues, including physicochemical properties, pharmacokinetics, molecular pathways in pharmacological actions, therapeutic applications, and safety and toxicity assessment.
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