Cardiac hypertrophy and associated myocardial remodeling is one of the main 
complications of hypertension resulting in the development of heart failure. It 
is of great significance to explore novel treatments to reverse cardiac 
hypertrophy in hypertensives with or without affecting blood pressure. In the 
present study, we investigated whether low-dose resveratrol alone or in a 
combination with a blood pressure-lowering agent can reverse 
hypertension-induced cardiovascular dysfunction. Twenty-week-old male 
spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and Wistar-Kyoto rats were treated with 
resveratrol (2.5 mg kg⁻¹ per day) and/or hydralazine (25 mg kg⁻¹ per day) for 8 
weeks. Blood pressure, cardiac structure and function, and electrocardiogram 
measurements were examined. Pressure myography of resistance arteries, 
histological examinations of heart tissues, oxidative stress and inflammatory 
measurements were also preformed to assess the efficacy of the treatment. 
Although resveratrol treatment alone was ineffective in reducing systolic blood 
pressure, diastolic blood pressure, diastolic dysfunction and vascular 
remodeling, it significantly prevented the systolic impairment and reduced 
myocardial fibrosis, and reduced oxidative stress and inflammation in 
hypertensive rats. Furthermore, a combination of resveratrol with hydralazine 
treatment significantly reduced blood pressure, improved systolic and diastolic 
function, decreased fibrosis and improved vascular geometry. In summary, 
low-dose resveratrol itself was unable to reduce systolic blood pressure, 
diastolic blood pressure, diastolic dysfunction and vascular remodeling. 
However, resveratrol alone alleviated cardiac fibrosis and some of the 
functional abnormalities in SHRs. And a combination of resveratrol with 
hydralazine was more effective than resveratrol or hydralazine alone in 
improving overall cardiovascular parameters.