Cleveland Clinic > Neuroscience > Professional Information > News > Stroke, Hemorrhage and Neurocritical Care

Cleveland Clinic > Neuroscience > Professional Information > News > Stroke, Hemorrhage and Neurocritical Care

The "French Paradox" - Cleveland Clinic Researchers Study Beneficial Effects of Red Wine in Stroke

Since neurons are extremely vulnerable to ischemia (i.e. interruption of cerebral blood flow), compared with other cell types, such as glia and endothelial cells, most strategies for ischemic stroke therapy have been directed toward neuronal protection. However, such efforts have not succeeded in clinical trials. Currently, the only approved medical treatment for acute stroke is intravenous injection of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) which aims primarily to restore cerebral blood flow by dissolving blood clot materials. This therapy is limited by a short window of opportunity in terms of time between the onset of a stroke's evolution and the start of treatment. Also, intracerebral hemorrhage is a potential morbid side effect.

Recently, new therapeutic strategies have been considered for stroke that target mechanisms of brain tissue injury mediated by other cellular types, including endothelial and inflammatory cells. Part of The Cleveland Clinic's basic stroke research program has been focusing on the molecular aspect of brain tissue injury resulting from ischemic stroke. This research seeks a molecular target to treat stroke. Using wild-type or genetically-modified animal models where focal ischemia has been induced by intraluminal filament insertion techniques (see Illustration, right), researchers are able to dissect the mechanisms of brain tissue injury resulting from ischemia.

Recently, Clinic researchers discovered that resveratrol, a polyphenol that is abundant in red wine, strongly activates the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) á and ã.PPARs are members of the nuclear hormone receptor family of ligand-dependent transcription factors. In agreement with clinical studies of the "French paradox," it was found that daily oral administration of resveratrol protects the brain against focal cerebral ischemia in laboratory models. This data suggests that PPARs may be a potential target to develop drugs that mimic the beneficial effects of red wine.

For more information, please call Shobu Namura, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Neurological Surgery, at 216/444-5672