Called resveratrol, this compound found in the skin of grapes blocks the enzyme linked to controlling stress in the brain.
Red wine as a cure for depression and anxiety?
If reaching such a conclusion is as hasty as it is wrong, a new study led by the University at Buffalo and published in the journal Neuropharmacologyhowever, reveals the key role that a natural compound present in red wine could play on neurological processes.
A neuroprotective effect
The name of this miracle element? Resveratrol. “Resveratrol may be an effective alternative to medications for treating patients with depression and anxiety disorders,” says Ying Xu, co-lead author and associate research professor at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. University of New Brunswick, Canada.
Associated in the past with a number of beneficial effects for health, such as on the memory of seniors, resveratrol is an antioxidant substance found in particular in the skin and seeds of grapes, blackberries or peanuts. .
Until now, researchers suspected that resveratrol had antidepressant effects, but did not know what role it actually played on the brain.
This new work has discovered that this natural compound interferes with phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), an enzyme influenced corticosterone, a hormone that regulates the body’s response to stress. However, too much stress can lead to an excessive release of this hormone in the brain which can lead to the development of depression, anxiety disorders or other mental disorders.
By conducting their work on mouse models, the researchers of this new study have highlighted the neuroprotective effects of resveratrol: it inhibits the expression of the PDE4 enzyme, and thus protects the brain against the deleterious effects caused by excessive production of corticosterone.
For the authors, this new study lays the foundation for the use of resveratrol in new antidepressants. The majority of antidepressants currently on the market seek to influence the production of serotonin or norepinephrine in the brain. However, only a third of patients suffering from depression go into complete remission in response to these treatments, recalls Professor Xu.
More research is needed, however, to confirm the benefits of resveratrol in countering the neurological processes leading to depression and anxiety.
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