Resveratrol was initially found to have antioxidant abilities and
to be protective against cardiovascular disease [52–54]. The cancer
chemopreventive properties of resveratrol were first demonstrated
when it was found to possesses chemopreventive activity against
all the three major stages of carcinogenesis, i.e. initiation, promotion
and progression [12]. Further, resveratrol has been shown to
have low toxicity and limited side effects, two much sought-after
properties in therapeutic settings, especially since a wide range
of available drugs are toxic to normal cells. It has also been suggested
that this specificity may be due to pro-oxidant activities
of resveratrol when exposed to the elevated copper levels in cancer
cells