Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Andrew L Waterhouse.
Wine production is both art and science, a blend of individual creativity and innovative technology. But wine production is also business, with economic factors driving manufacturing practices. To be successful in the modern marketplace, a winemaker must integrate the artistic and economic aspects of wine production, and possess a solid understanding of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that underlie purchase motivation.
Malvidin-3-glucoside has been labeled by enzymatic synthesis in a single-step experiment. Catechol-O-methyl transferase catalyzed the B-ring methylation of petunidin-3-glucoside, and S-Adenosyl-L-[methyl-(3)H] methionine was the methyl donor. Solid phase extraction and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography were necessary to separate [3'-O-methyl-(3)H]malvidin-3-glucoside from an isomer and the starting material. The specific activity was 2.2 Ci mmol(-1), and the yield of incorporation was 1.1%. A possible application of the labeled material is the study of anthocyanin reactions in complex mixtures such as red wine where products are difficult to isolate and analyze.
OBJECTIVE: The potential beneficial effects of red wine consumption on the development of atherosclerotic disease have been previously suggested in the literature. Vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation is an important component of atherogenesis. Inhibition of vascular SMC proliferation may have a beneficial effect in retarding the development of atherosclerotic disease. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of red wine, red wine polyphenol extract, and resveratrol, a polyphenol commonly found in red wine, on the proliferation of vascular SMC in culture. METHODS: Bovine aortic SMCs were used for all experiments. SMCs were treated with growth media supplemented with dealcoholized red wine, red wine polyphenol extract, or resveratrol at various concentrations for as long as 48 hours. SMC proliferation was assessed with (3)H-thymidine DNA incorporation assay. SMC viability was assessed with trypan blue exclusion studies and a colorimetric lactic dehydrogenase cytotoxicity assay. RESULTS: Our results show that red wine and red wine polyphenol extract inhibit SMC proliferation in a dose-dependent fashion. Resveratrol also inhibits vascular SMC proliferation. SMC viability studies show that this inhibition of SMC proliferation is not the result of a cytotoxic effect. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that red wine and red wine polyphenols have an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of vascular SMCs in culture. These results suggest that the observed beneficial effects of red wine may be the result, in part, of the inhibition of vascular SMC proliferation. Furthermore, the antiproliferative properties of red wine may be caused by its component polyphenols.
Little is known about flavonoid metabolism and excretion in man. In the present study, the urinary excretion of a major flavonoid in wine, catechin, and its metabolites, were measured after nine human subjects each consumed 120 ml red wine (RW) on one day and de-alcoholized red wine (DRW) on a separate day. Both the RW and DRW contained 120 (SEM 3) micromol catechin (35 mg). GC-MS analyses of the trimethylsilylated derivatives of catechin and 3' and 4' methylcatechin were performed before and after hydrolysis of conjugates by beta-glucuronidase and sulfatase. Baseline urine samples collected prior to wine consumption contained 0.013 (SEM 0.005) micromol catechin and metabolites. During the 8 h period following consumption of RW and DRW, 6.6 (SEM 0.9) and 5.3 (SEM 0.6) micromol catechin and metabolites were excreted in 893 (SEM 94) and 740 (SEM 101) ml urine respectively. This corresponded to 3.0-10.3% of the dose after RW and 2.1-8.2% of the dose after DRW. The amount of catechin and metabolites excreted in urine was 20% higher after RW compared with DRW (P=0.06). Catechin in all urine samples was present as metabolites and there were no differences in the proportions of individual metabolites after RW and DRW. As with other flavonoids, the fate of most ingested catechin is not yet known.
Wine contains many phenolic substances, most of which originate in the grape berry. The phenolics have a number of important functions in wine, affecting the tastes of bitterness and astringency, especially in red wine. Second, the color of red wine is caused by phenolics. Third, the phenolics are the key wine preservative and the basis of long aging. Lastly, since phenolics oxidize readily, they are the component that suffers owing to oxidation and the substance that turns brown in wine (and other foods) when exposed to air. Wine phenolics include the non-flavonoids: hydroxycinnamates, hydroxybenzoates and the stilbenes; plus the flavonoids: flavan-3-ols, the flavonols, and the anthocyanins. While polymeric condensed tannins and pigmented tannins constitute the majority of wine phenolics, their large size precludes absorption and thus they are not likely to have many health effects (except, perhaps, in the gut). The total amount of phenols found in a glass of red wine is on the order of 200 mg versus about 40 mg in a glass of white wine.