Resveratrol is a potent inducer of apoptosis in human melanoma cells.

Resveratrol is a plant polyphenol found in grapes and red wine. It has been found to have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. Resveratrol also inhibits the growth of various tumor cell lines in vitro and inhibits carcinogenesis in vivo. In this study we examined the effect of resveratrol on growth of two human melanoma cell lines. We found that this plant polyphenol inhibited growth and induced apoptosis in both cell lines, with the amelanotic cell line A375 being more sensitive. The potential involvement of different MAP kinases in the action of resveratrol was also examined. Although resveratrol did not alter the phosphorylation of p38 or JNK MAP kinases in either cell line, it induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in A375, but not in SK-mel28 cells. These results suggest that in vivo studies of the effect of resveratrol on melanoma are warranted and that this plant polyphenol might have effectiveness as either a therapeutic or chemopreventive agent against melanoma.