Resveratrol affects the cross talk between immune and colon cancer cells

Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound found mainly in grapes and their seeds, is gaining a widespread appreciation as a therapeutic adjuvant in a variety of diseases including cancer prevention. We examined the effect of resveratrol as a modulator of the immune dialog between peripheral blood mononuclear cells and those from two human colon carcinoma lines, expressed by a possible alteration of cytokine production. Resveratrol, incubated with non-stimulated mononuclear cells, caused a certain reduction of IL-6, IL-1ra and IL-10, and a moderate increase of TNFα release. On the other hand, resveratrol did not affect cytokine production by cancer cells from both lines. When resveratrol was added to immune and cancer cells jointly, an altered dose-dependent decreased production of the examined cytokines was obtained. These results favor the existence of a mechanism, additional to those already described, that may explain the preventive effect of resveratrol on tumorigenesis.