Terraternal Launches Sublingual/Buccal Resveratrol Tablet

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to improve the bioavailability of resveratrol supplements, Terraternal has just launched its new "Sublingual/Buccal Resveratrol" product.  This delivery technique circumvents what is known as the 'first-pass effect' of metabolism and delivers trans-resveratrol directly into the bloodstream via the sublingual gland under the tongue or the mucous membrane of the inside of the cheek (buccal mucosa).  The product will, according to studies, deliver 200-300 times more free or 'aglycone' resveratrol to the blood plasma.

Recent studies [Walle, Wenzel, Goldberg] have shown that the bioavailability of trans resveratrol in humans following a standard oral dose is essentially zero.  The resveratrol molecule is metabolized or 'conjugated' by both the liver and small intestine into primarily two related metabolites:  resveratrol glucuronide and resveratrol sulfate.  Efforts in the industry to improve the bioavailability of resveratrol by targeting absorption do not resolve this issue because absorption is not the source of the problem.  The absorption of resveratrol is in fact already excellent at 70%, and does not significantly affect the metabolism stage, where this conversion is being made.

The ramifications of all this for standard resveratrol supplements are not clear.  Rats also metabolize resveratrol into these same metabolites, which bodes well for standard resveratrol supplementation in humans given the very encouraging in vivo results of a number of rat-based studies.  On the other hand, the ratio of resulting metabolites in rats are reversed when compared with humans, the sulfate form being overwhelmingly dominant for them.  Furthermore, in vitro studies, including David Sinclair's original screen for SIRT1 activation, have almost exclusively employed free resveratrol and not the metabolites.

This all casts some uncertainty on the efficacy of traditional resveratrol supplementation which Terraternal's new product aims to significantly diminish.

To read more about Terraternal's new product, visit http://www.terraternal.com/sublingualresveratrol.aspx.  To read more on the bioavailability of resveratrol in humans generally, visit: http://www.terraternal.com/resveratrolbioavailability.htm.

About Terraternal:  Terraternal is a life extension company founded in 2008.  Its mission is to help those alive today live to see the end of aging.

SOURCE Terraternal