The Effects of Resveratrol on Telomeres and Post Myocardial Infarction Remodeling

Abstract

Post myocardial infarction (MI) remodeling is the term used to define the changes in cardiac musculature after sustaining an ischemic injury. These changes decrease myocardial function and ultimately lead to heart failure. We review the contributing factors to post-MI remodeling, its association with telomere biology, as well as a myriad of other factors affecting aging and telomere length in relation to cardiovascular health. The main focus is on the effects of resveratrol in the cardiovascular system and its potential for therapeutic use in preventing long-term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We tried to answer important questions regarding the potential for resveratrol as a therapeutic drug to prevent adverse post-MI remodeling. In our search, we gathered 62 studies and narrowed our data down to 44 studies. The database used was PubMed, and the keywords used are "Resveratrol", "Telomere", "Post Myocardial Infarction". All the studies were carefully screened for relevant articles regarding our topic manually, Articles related to a positive association between resveratrol and its anti-aging, cardioprotective effects have been included in our study, as we could not find any articles in our search which showed a negative correlation. Our review concluded that resveratrol had pro-telomerase effects which could counter the development of adverse post-MI remodeling. Therefore resveratrol could be a useful therapeutic add-on drug to prevent cardiovascular disease. It is essential that further research including observational and large-scale clinical trials should be conducted to increase our understanding of the efficacy and viability of these novel therapeutic interventions.