ε-Viniferin is a naturally occurring phenol, belonging to the stilbenoids family. It is a resveratrol dimer. It is found in Vitis vinifera grapevines, in wines, in the Oriental medicinal plant Vitis coignetiae and in the stem bark of Dryobalanops aromatica. Cis-epsilon-viniferin can be found in Paeonia lactiflora. It shows a human cytochrome P450 enzymes inhibition activity. (-)-Trans-epsilon-viniferin, a dimer of resveratrol, concentration-dependently inhibited the uptake of [3H]noradrenaline and [3H]5-HT by synaptosomes from rat brain (being slightly but significantly more selective against [3H]noradrenaline) and the uptake of [3H]5-HT by human platelets. On the other hand, epsilon-viniferin (5-200 microM) concentration-dependently inhibited the enzymatic activity of commercial (human recombinant) monoamine oxidase (MAO) isoform (MAO-A and MAO-B) activity, being slightly but significantly more selective against MAO-B than against MAO-A.
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