Resveratrol modulates the malignant properties of cutaneous melanoma through changes in the activation and attenuation of the antiapoptotic protooncogenic protein Akt/PKB.

Resveratrol, a nontoxic natural product, exhibits multifaceted biological effects including antimutagenic and anticancer properties. We examined the effect of resveratrol on the expression and activation of Akt/protein kinase B and its impact on melanoma cell migration and invasiveness. We also explored the use of resveratrol as an antimalignant treatment option against skin melanoma in mouse models of the disease. Akt expression and activity were determined by a combination of real-time PCR and western blot analysis. Cell lines stably expressing Akt or a dominant negative variant were used to further establish the role of Akt during the response to resveratrol. Wound healing and transwell assays were used as in-vitro correlates of melanoma cell migration and invasiveness. The efficacy of resveratrol in the treatment of melanoma was assessed in two syngeneic mouse models. Resveratrol downregulated and inactivated Akt in B16F10 and B16BL6 melanoma cells. Resveratrol also inhibited the migratory and invasive properties of these highly malignant cells. The reduction of cell migration and invasion, however, was reversed in cell lines overexpressing Akt or after cotreatment with pharmacological inhibitors that blocked Akt degradation. Dominant-negative Akt cells were more sensitive to resveratrol and had diminished migratory properties. Oral treatment with resveratrol reduced primary tumor volume, Akt expression, and the propensity for metastasis in syngeneic mouse models of melanoma. These results suggest that resveratrol can reduce the malignant properties of highly invasive melanoma cells by inactivating Akt. The nontoxic targeting of Akt by resveratrol makes it an attractive treatment option for melanoma.