Resveratrol and derivatives for the prevention and treatment of cancer

Resveratrol, a naturally derived stilbene that exists in various foods and beverages, has attracted increasing attention over the past decade because of its multiple beneficial properties, including chemopreventive and antitumor activities. There are several other natural derivatives of resveratrol that are structurally similar to resveratrol and are also present in food. In addition, a series of resveratrol analogs have been synthesized by the addition of defined functional groups to increase the potency and/or enhance the activity of specific properties of resveratrol. Such resveratrol derivatives might provide promising tools as cancer chemopreventive agents, as well as cancer therapeutics in the prevention and treatment of cancer. This review provides an overview of key derivatives of resveratrol as cancer therapeutics.