resveratrol

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Resveratrol

The discovery of resveratrol dates back to 1939 with the earliest publication of it by Michio Takaoka in the journal of the chemical society of japan. The compound was extracted by crystallization from a fraction of EtOH extracts of Veratrum grandiflorum.1 Resveratrol is most famously found in the skin of red and purple gapes but other sources include cranberries, blueberries and peanuts. Japanese knot weed is also a concentrated source of Resveratrol and is used as a non-synthetic route to produce resveratrol for diet supplements2.
The structure of Resveratrol is shown (left)3. it is a stilbenoid produced by plants to help them ward off pathogens. It occurs as both E and Z isomers with the E isomer converting to Z on exposure to UV radiation.
Resveratrol has been the focus of numerous studies because of its attributed medicinal properties which include protecting heart and blood flow, as an anti-inflammatory and as an insulin sensitizer. It has also received public attention as studies show that it interferes with carcinogenesis and is effective at destroying tumours ...

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