ABSTRACT
Stilbenoids are phenol-based plant metabolites widely represented in nature and implicated with human health benefits against problems such as cancer, inflammation, neurodegenerative disease, and heart disease. Resveratrol has been identified from a number of dietary sources including red grapes, muscadine grapes, cranberries, bilberries, blueberries, lingon-berries, sparkleberry, deerberry, partridgeberry, and peanuts. Resveratrol occurs predominantly as the trans isomer and reports of the presence of the cis isomer, e.g., in certain wines, is attributed to photoisomeric conversion, enzyme action during fermentation, or release from viniferins. Resveratrol is a dietary polyphenol that is reported to have numerous biological properties and implications for human health and disease. A thorough understanding of the chemistry of this molecule and its related conjugates and derivatives is important for correlation of its observed in vitro and in vivo biological properties and eventually for translation into practical benefits for human health.
