Therapeutic Role of Resveratrol and Piceatannol in Disease Prevention

Resveratrol, (3,4’,5-trihydroxystilbene) has long been suspected to show a broad range of biological activities of medicinal interest such as anticancer, anti-oxidative, anti-diabetic, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory activities. Piceatannol (3,3’,4’,5-tetrahydroxystilbene) is a hydroxylated analogue of resveratrol and it confirms a lot of similar biological activities as shown by resveratrol. Both resveratrol and piceatannol are very important naturally occurring polyphenolic stilbenes, produced by plants in response to fungal infection, mechanical damage, or ultra-violet irradiation. They can be consumed on a daily basis as they show no harmful effects on human body. They play a significant role in improving human health. Compared with resveratrol, piceatannol is a more potent anticancer agent and preferable agent with other biological activities like antioxidant activity. This article reports biological activities of the two important stilbenes: resveratrol and piceatannol and their possible role in disease prevention.