Researchers pinpoint how resveratrol induces pancreatic cancer cell death

Researchers at Rochester University in the USA have shown, for the first time, that a natural antioxidant found in grape skins and red wine can help destroy pancreatic cancer cells by reaching to the cell's core energy source, or mitochondria, and crippling its function. The study was published in the March edition of the journal, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology.

The study also showed that, when the pancreatic cancer cells were doubly assaulted - pre-treated with the antioxidant, resveratrol, and irradiated - the combination induced a type of cell death called apoptosis, an important goal of cancer therapy.

The research has many implications for patients, according to lead author Paul Okunieff, chief of radiation oncology at the James P Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center.