The effect of resveratrol on a calcitriol-differentiated human promyelocytic cell line, HL-60

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound derived from plants such as grapes and peanuts. This molecule has been shown to have several beneficial properties, including cardiovascular protection, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects. More recently, resveratrol has been studied for its anti-tumorigenic characteristics, which consist of its ability to induce differentiation, stimulate apoptosis and arrest cell cycle progression in cancer cells. Numerous preclinical trials conducted on human cancer models, such as uterine, colorectal and leukemia, have established that resveratrol induces apoptosis in these cells. In addition, resveratrol has been shown to inhibit tumor progression in mice with skin cancer. Since resveratrol is present at relatively low concentrations in foods such as grapes and red wine, researchers are exploring the synergistic effect obtained from the combination of resveratrol and other natural products. A recent study has demonstrated that curcumin, a component of turmeric, induces apoptosis in calcitriol-differentiated HL-60 cells, although etoposide, a chemotherapeutic agent, does not. This study investigates the effect of resveratrol on both calcitriol and resveratrol-differentiated HL-60 cells. The results suggest that 50 - 500 µM resveratrol did not induce apoptosis in calcitriol-treated cells. However, resveratrol-differentiated HL-60 cells undergo apoptosis when treated with 250 µM resveratrol.