Expression patterns in liver after resveratrol treatment of mice on a high-calorie diet

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene) extends the lifespan of diverse species including yeast, worms, and flies. In these organisms, lifespan extension is dependent on Sir2, a conserved deacetylase proposed to underlie the beneficial effects of caloric restriction (CR). Here we show that resveratrol shifts the physiology of middle-aged mice on a high-calorie diet towards that of mice on a standard diet and significantly increases their survival. Resveratrol produces changes associated with longer lifespan including increased insulin sensitivity, reduced IGF-1, increased AMPK and PGC-1α activity, increased mitochondrial number, and improved motor function. Parametric analysis of gene set enrichment (PAGE) revealed that resveratrol opposed the effects of the high-calorie diet in 144 out of 153 significantly altered pathways. These data show that improving general health in mammals using small molecules is an attainable goal and point to new approaches for treating obesity-related disorders and diseases of ageing. Keywords: Drug treatment