Resveratrol improves the therapeutic efficacy of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in rats with severe acute pancreatitis

•In this study we investigate resveratrol (Res) pretreatment of BMSCs (Res-BMSCs) and applied it to a rat model of sodium taurocholate (NaT)-induced acute pancreatitis.•We find that BMSCs primed with resveratrol have a better therapeutic effect in rats with severe acute pancreatitis via paracrine VEGFA.•Our findings provide a new strategy for the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis with stem cells.