Man-made version of resveratrol 1,000x more potent

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Compound made by Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is a souped up version of

resveratrol that activates the SIRT1 gene in mice as resveratrol does,

but is 1,000 times more potent.

link:

http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20071129/wine-compound-spurs-diabetes-research

full text:

Wine Compound Spurs Diabetes Research

Scientists Make Chemicals That Act Like Red Wine's Resveratrol to

Counter Diabetes in Mice

By Miranda Hitti

WebMD Medical News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Nov. 29, 2007 -- Resveratrol, a compound found in wine and grapes, has

inspired scientists to create chemicals that may one day treat type 2

diabetes.

Red wine, grapes, raspberries, and peanuts are among the foods rich in

resveratrol.

In October, Chinese researchers reported that resveratrol curbs

insulin resistance in mice. Insulin is a hormone that controls blood

sugar. Insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes.

In today's edition of Nature, another team of scientists says it has

developed chemicals that behave like a souped-up version of

resveratrol in lab tests on diabetic mice.

Like resveratrol, the lab-made chemicals activate a gene called SIRT1,

making the diabetic mice more sensitive to insulin.

But the newly developed chemicals are 1,000 times more potent than

resveratrol.

Those chemicals haven't yet been tested on people or in long-term

experiments, but they " hold promise " as a treatment for type 2

diabetes, write the researchers.

They included Christoph Westphal, MD, PhD. He's the CEO of Sirtris

Pharmaceuticals, which made the compounds tested in the study.

Scientists from Harvard Medical School and the University of

California at San Diego also worked on the study.