title: Resveratrol has antagonist activity on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor: implications for prevention of dioxin toxicity.
abstract: Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands such as dioxin and benzo[a]pyrene are environmental contaminants with many adverse health effects, including immunosuppression, carcinogenesis, and endothelial cell damage. We show here that a wine component, resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene), is a competitive antagonist of dioxin and other AhR ligands. Resveratrol promotes AhR translocation to the nucleus and binding to DNA at dioxin-responsive elements but subsequent transactivation does not take place. Resveratrol inhibits the transactivation of several dioxin-inducible genes including cytochrome P-450 1A1 and interleukin-1beta, both ex vivo and in vivo. Resveratrol has adequate potency and nontoxicity to warrant clinical testing as a prophylactic agent against aryl hydrocarbon-induced pathology.
authors.affiliation: Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Casper
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quesne
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirota
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jolivet
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Milgrom
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Savouret
mesh_terms: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000077185:Resveratrol; D013267:Stilbenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008024:Ligands; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; D013267:Stilbenes; D000077185:Resveratrol