The Suns already had years of experience studying the oxidative damage alcohol can cause, particularly to brain cells. So they decided to investigate whether polyphenols have the same protective benefits for the brain that they do for the heart. "In many age-related diseases of the brain, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and stroke, oxidative damage is a problem," Grace Sun says. "We figured, ‘Hey, these polyphenols may be good for the brain.'"

The couple acquired the assistance of researchers across the MU campus when they became charter members several years ago of the University's Center for Phytonutrient and Phytochemical Studies, a multidisciplinary program funded by the National Institutes of Health to investigate the health benefits of botanical compounds and herbs.

MU nutritionist and professor Ruth MacDonald helped put the polyphenols into the diets of the Suns' test animals. Another colleague, analytical chemist George Rottinghaus, determined whether the substances reached the animals' brains and livers. The Suns began their research off campus, with a trip to a winery in Hermann, Mo., to see how wine is made. To craft a red wine, winemakers often add grape skins to the juice as it ferments.

This fermentation process, the Suns found, extracts polyphenols naturally, fortifying red wine with the compounds. "Polyphenols are not easily dissolved in water, but they can be dissolved by alcohol. So they get into red wine just by nature's process," Grace Sun says.

In their first studies, the Suns treated rats with ethanol by adding it to their diets for a period of two months. Some of the rats also got fed an extract of grape polyphenols. The Suns made the extract from grape skins and seeds collected from wineries in Rocheport and New Haven immediately after the grapes had been pressed.

Rats fed just the alcohol showed definite declines in the function of two proteins in brain cell membranes that are sensitive to oxidative stress. But when grape polyphenols were added to their diet, they completely prevented these decreases in protein activity. In a similar experiment, the Suns demonstrated that the grape polyphenol extract prevented some of the damage chronic alcohol consumption causes to liver cells.

As the Suns and other researchers began to study the individual polyphenols in red wine, they found that one, resveratrol, stood out from the pack. For example, resveratrol alone has been shown to be just as effective as a combination of red wine polyphenols in protecting against heart attack damage.

"This group of compounds is all good, but resveratrol is particularly good," Grace Sun says.

The Suns found that in cell cultures resveratrol was more effective than such popular antioxidants as vitamins C and E at reducing oxidative damage. And their animal studies demonstrated for the first time that resveratrol is highly effective in crossing the blood-brain barrier.

"We can show that resveratrol can get to the brain really fast," Albert Sun says. That made resveratrol an ideal candidate for the Suns to try as a protective measure against the damage strokes can inflict on brain cells.