Resveratrol as a potential protective compound against metabolic inflammation

Abstract

Although the exact mechanism linking obesity to type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains unknown, accumulating evidence suggests that low-grade chronic metabolic inflammation or ‘metainflammation’ plays a pivotal role. Adipose tissue is the primary site of meta-inflammation, and overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines in this tissue affects other organs such as the liver, skeletal muscle, pancreas, and brain. This leads to the development of insulin resistance and metabolic irregularities in these tissues. Therefore, strategies targeting metainflammation could be effective in treating T2D and related metabolic traits. Resveratrol, a polyphenol, is suggested to possess anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. The anti-inflammatory effect of resveratrol is mediated through several mechanisms including the suppression of nuclear factor kB (NF-kB), down-regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, suppression of toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated pathway; inhibition of NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation, reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, suppression of immune cell infiltration into tissues; and inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines production. This review will examine the evidence on the role of resveratrol in modulating inflammation in various organs affected by obesity such as liver, skeletal muscle, kidney, heart and brain