May 10/Seoul, South Korea/International Journal of Molecular Medicine -- Drinking red wine in moderation has long been considered to have health benefits. A substance called resveratrol, an antioxidant found in the skin of red grapes, may help reduce unhealthy cholesterol and prevent damage to blood vessels, research has shown. Now, new research suggests that red wine also may benefit patients with mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
A study in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine says resveratrol causes some malignant mesothelioma cell to die. Korean medical scientists at Soonchunhyant University found the resveratrol suppressed the levels of a protein called Sp1 and caused the death of cancer cells in laboratory mice that had malignant pleural mesothelioma.