Cell-activating effects of a viniferin-enriched grapevine extract

IFSCC Magazine, 12 (2009) (2) 101–105 Extracts of grapevine, especially in the fermented form of wine, are reported to exert beneficial effects to human health. Grapevine polyphenols are considered to be the main compounds responsible for this beneficial activity, and of these, resveratrol has been studied in most detail. Because of its antioxidant properties, resveratrol demonstrates cell protective characteristics, but it is also able to reduce cell proliferation and induce apoptosis, especially in cancer cells. Investigations on the effects of resveratrol on UVB irradiated primary keratinocytes and HaCats have demonstrated protective properties also in skin cells. Although grapevine extracts are routinely used as an active ingredient in skincare cosmetics, the activity of these extracts on skin, apart from that of resveratrol, is only poorly understood. Here the effects on skin cells of a grapevine extract enriched with the resveratrol dimer ε‐viniferin were analyzed in vitro and in vivo. Keywords: Fibroblast, collagen contraction, confocal laser microscopy, resveratrol, senescence This paper was presented as a poster at the 25th IFSCC Congress 2008, Barcelona, Spain