Drinking to your health

Oct. 12, 2011 - PRLog -- Antioxidants from wine grapes, red wine and grape juice have been known to provide health benefits, including cardio-protective, anti-aging and anti-tumor effects.

Now, a team of Cal State L.A. researchers reveals that the mysterious benefits of wine are more complicated. The study indicates that trans-resveratrol, a molecule found in grapes and red wine, can and does react with singlet oxygen and make other interesting biomolecules.

In fact, one of the major products is a molecule which, upon heating, is transformed into a completely different compound found in root bark of a certain tree (morus alba) used in traditional Chinese medicine.

“This compound is called Moracin M,” said CSULA’s Professor of Chemistry Matthias Selke. “This new chemistry is a very convenient way of making Moracin M in the laboratory. At the same time, we note that the chemistry of antioxidants goes beyond the simplistic assumption that all they do is remove free radicals.”

Selke and CSULA alumnus Jeff Celaje led the study, which was recently published by the American Chemical Society journal, Organic Letters (vol. 13, no. 18). The study, funded by the National Institute of Health, also concluded that resveratrol is much less efficient in removing singlet oxygen compared to other antioxidants, such as Vitamin E and beta-carotene.

Benefits of trans-resveratrol

There has been a huge amount of research into what the trans-resveratrol molecule actually does. The benefits are often attributed to resveratrol’s ability of removing so-called reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damage all kinds of biomolecules in living organisms.

According to Celaje, “Resveratrol is the substance in red wine that is responsible for the so-called ‘French paradox’ (the apparently contradictory observations that the French have a lower incidence of coronary heart disease despite having a diet that is higher in saturated fats).”

He added, “Resveratrol continues to be the focus of intense research because of its many health benefits.”

So-called ROS are often and somewhat incorrectly equated with free radicals resulting in some confusion.

“Actually, free radicals are one type of ROS,” said Selke, “but there are other reactive oxygen species as well. The ROS we looked at is singlet oxygen, generated from light-absorbing molecules, light and oxygen. It is well known that singlet oxygen destroys DNA and some amino acids.”

The research team

Co-authors on the paper with Selke and Celaje were CSULA chemistry and biochemistry major Angela Guerrero and post-doctoral researcher and lab manager Dong Zhang.

A CSULA faculty member since 1998, Selke is an expert in organic chemistry, bioorganic chemistry and the role of metals in biology. He was one of only nine scientists across the nation to receive the prestigious Henry Dreyfus Foundation Teacher-Scholar Award in 2004.

Celaje, who attributes Selke for his passion in chemistry, said, “My experiences at CSULA as a biochemistry student were very pleasant. The Chemistry and Biochemistry department—with the help of programs that fund students’ research, such as the Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE) programs—does a great job preparing students for graduate school. I am now pursuing a doctoral degree in organic chemistry at the University of Southern California.”

A participant in the University’s Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) undergraduate research training program, Guerrero said, “I had a really great experience conducting research in Dr. Selke’s lab. I hope one day to contribute to bridging the gap between science and medicine as a physician scientist.”

Timothy Dong of UCLA, Ali Jabalameli of CSULA, and Errol Mathias of CSULA also provided valuable experimental assistance for the published research.

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The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 220,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to the Honors College for high-achieving students, opening in fall 20011. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center.