Side-effects of resveratrol in HepG2 cells: Reduced pten and increased bcl-xl mRNA expression

Abstract

Resveratrol is a natural compound present in red grapes and red wine, and is often consumed in the human diet. The chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic potential of resveratrol in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common types of liver cancer, has received much attention in recent years. However, the side-effects of resveratrol stimulation are of concern due to the high doses administered to humans. This study investigated the effects of resveratrol on the mRNA expression of pten and bcl-xl in HepG2 cells using semi-quantitative and quantitative PCR. This study demonstrated that 200 μmol/l resveratrol stimulation for 12 h resulted in the inhibition of HepG2 proliferation, reduced pten and increased bcl-xl mRNA expression. The data suggest that (a) the anticancer mechanism of resveratrol does not involve the induction of pten and inhibition of bcl-xl expression and (b) resveratrol induces a cellular self-protection response, which underlies the cellular chemoresistance against resveratrol in HepG2 cells.