Polyphenolic pattern and in vitro cardioprotective properties of typical red wines from vineyards cultivated in Scafati (Salerno, Italy)

Wines are the subject of increasing numbers of investigations owing to the pharmaceutical usefulness of grape phytochemicals. The aim of the present work was to hypothesize the use of lyophilised red wines for the formulation of food supplements potentially useful against both physiological and induced cardiac oxidative stress. Cardiac derived H9C2 myocytes were incubated with increasing doses (0.01–1 μg) of lyophilised Aglianico wine (lioAW). Experiments showed an appreciable direct radical scavenging activity at a maximum lioAW dose of 0.03 μg that made the caspase-3 activity decrease by about 41%. Cardiac cells were exposed to 1 μM doxorubicin and its combination with different doses of lioAW. Maximum lioAW aliquot of 0.03 μg seemed to effectively contrast the induced oxidant injury decreasing the reactive oxygen species (ROSs) levels by about 38%and depressing the caspase-3 activity by about 63%. In both assays, pro-oxidant effects at higher lioAW concentrations were detected.