title: Subchronic oral toxicity and cardiovascular safety pharmacology studies of resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenol with cancer preventive activity.
abstract: To characterize the subchronic oral toxicity of resveratrol, CD rats received daily gavage doses of 0, 200, 400, or 1000 mg resveratrol/kg/day, and beagle dogs received daily capsule doses of 0, 200, 600, or 1200 mg resveratrol/kg/day for 90 days. Resveratrol induced only minimal toxicity, consisting of dose-related reductions in body weight gain in female rats and both sexes of dogs, and a statistically significant increase in bilirubin levels in rats at the 1000 mg/kg/day dose. Clinical observations, hematology, ophthalmology, neurotoxicity evaluations (functional observational batteries), organ weights, and gross pathology provided no biologically significant evidence of resveratrol toxicity in either species. In rats, the high dose of resveratrol reduced the incidence of cardiomyopathy; no other microscopic changes were seen. Histopathologic changes in dogs were limited to minimal inflammatory infiltrates in the kidney and urinary bladder, which were not considered toxicologically significant. A cardiovascular safety pharmacology (telemetry) study in dogs revealed no evidence of resveratrol toxicity. Based on body weight effects, the No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) for resveratrol was 200mg/kg/day in rats and 600 mg/kg/day in dogs. The apparent cardioprotective activity of resveratrol in rats demonstrates that its potentially beneficial activities may extend beyond efficacy in cancer prevention.
authors.affiliation: Life Sciences Group, IIT Research Institute, Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA. wjohnson@iitri.org
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Morrissey
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Usborne
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kapetanovic
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Crowell
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muzzio
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: McCormick
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004285:Dogs; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D000077185:Resveratrol; D013267:Stilbenes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D059550:Toxicity Tests, Subchronic / Q000379:methods*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D059808:Polyphenols; D013267:Stilbenes; D000077185:Resveratrol