In a good news for wine lovers, researchers have found a compound present in red wine which can treat depression and anxiety.

The plant compound resveratrol displays anti-stress effects by blocking the expression of an enzyme which controls stress in the brain.

The findings, published in the journal Neuropharmacolog, shed light onto how neurological processes are impacted by resveratrol a compound having numerous health benefits and found in the skin and seeds of grapes and berries.

While research has identified resveratrol to have antidepressant effects, the compound's relationship to phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), an enzyme influenced by the stress hormone corticosterone, was unknown.

The research also reveals that PDE4, induced by excessive amounts of corticosterone, causes depression- and anxiety-like behaviour.

The enzyme lowers cyclic adenosine monophosphate a messenger molecule that signals physiological changes such as cell division, change, migration and death in the body, leading to physical alterations in the brain.

Resveratrol displayed neuroprotective effects against corticosterone by inhibiting the expression of PDE4. The research lays the groundwork for the use of the compound in novel antidepressants.