Oxyresveratrol (trans-Oxyresveratrol)

Resveratrol is a potent phenolic antioxidant found in the skin of grapes and red wine that has anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective properties.¹ Oxyresveratrol is a naturally occurring analog of resveratrol found in mulberry wood. It effectively scavenges H₂O₂, NO (IC₅₀ = 45.3 μM), and the artificial free radical 2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (IC₅₀ = 28.9 μM).² At 10 mg/kg, oxyresveratrol acts as a neuroprotectant, reducing brain infarct volume and reducing cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation in an in vivo model of stroke.³ Oxyresveratrol also has depigmenting effects by effectively inhibiting tyrosinase activity, which catalyzes the rate-limiting step in synthesizing melanin pigments (IC₅₀s = 1.2 and 52.7 μM in mushroom and mouse melanoma B-16 cells, respectively).⁴ It is 32-fold more potent than kojic acid, a depigmenting agent used in cosmetic materials with skin-whitening effects and medical agents used to treat hyperpigmentation disorders.⁴

1.Rotondo, S., Rajtar, G., Manarini, S., et al.Effect of trans-resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound, on human polymorphonuclear leukocyte functionBr. J. Pharmacol.123(8)1691-1699(1998) 2.Lorenz, P., Roychowdhury, S., Engelmann, M., et al.Oxyresveratrol and resveratrol are potent antioxidants and free radical scavengers: Effect on nitrosative and oxidative stress derived from microglial cellsNitric Oxide9(2)64-76(2003) 3.Andrabi, S.A., Spina, M.G., Lorenz, P., et al.Oxyresveratrol (trans-2,3',4,5'-tetrahydroxystilbene) is neuroprotective and inhibits the apoptotic cell death in transient cerebral ischemiaBrain Res.101798-107(2004) 4.Kim, Y.M., Yun, J., Lee, C.K., et al.Oxyresveratrol and hydroxystilbene compounds. Inhbitory effect on tyrosinase and mechanism of actionJ. Biol. Chem.277(18)16340-16344(2002)