ABSTRACT
The polyphenol resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene) is a phytoalexin used by plants to defend themselves against fungal and other forms of aggression. The antitumor activities of resveratrol, sesamol, sesame oil, and sunflower oil were compared in the in vivo dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-initiated and tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-promoted mouse skin two-stage carcinogenesis protocols. Depending on the cellular origin, human skin cancers are classified as melanocytic or epithelial. Melanomas are less common but more lethal than epithelial skin cancers. Two animal models were used in order to assess the antitumor effects of resveratrol: azoxymethane-treated rats as a model reproducing the development of sporadic colorectal cancer in humans, and Min mice as a model for familial adenomatous polyposis. In the Western world, prostate cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer. The combined sensitizer (resveratrol)/inducer concept may become a novel strategy to enhance the efficacy of anticancer therapy in a variety of human cancers.
