Yutaka Matsumoto’s scientific contributions

Cardiovascular disease is a global health problem. According to the World Health Organization, ischemic heart disease was the leading cause of death globally in 2019, followed by stroke. The French paradox, which has been known since the early 1990s, describes the lower incidence of ischemic heart disease in French people despite the consumption of a diet rich in saturated fatty acids. This phenomenon has been attributed to the high intake of red wine, which is rich in polyphenols, namely, resveratrol and piceatannol. It is becoming clear that scirpusin B, a dimer of piceatannol, has anti-atherosclerotic properties such as vasodilation, antioxidant effects, and suppression of postprandial hyperglycemia; nonetheless, the effects of scirpusin B on the cardiovascular system have not been fully elucidated. This review aimed to describe the cardiovascular effects of piceatannol and scirpusin B on aortic and coronary artery dilation and cardiac function and to outline the cardiovascular effects of prostacyclin and nitric oxide, as these substances are involved in the vasodilatory effects exerted by these polyphenols.