The objective of this study is to examine the impact of resveratrol on the activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase/peroxisome proliferator gamma receptor coactivator 1-alpha mechanism of signal pathway on colorectal cancer. Set up blank control group, colorectal cancer group and resveratrol group. The proliferation ability of three groups of cells was assessed using cell counting kit 8, protein expression was detected using Western blot, the expression level of related messenger ribonucleic acid was determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the migration and invasion ability of cells was assessed using the Transwell method. The resveratrol group exhibited a significantly elevated expression level of apoptotic proteins Fas, Bcl-2-associated X protein, and Fas ligand compared to the colorectal cancer group, and the expression level of B-cell lymphoma 2 was found to be significantly reduced compared to the colorectal cancer group. In the colorectal cancer group alpha, the relative expression of messenger ribonucleic acid and protein for mitogen-activated protein kinase and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator was found to be significantly lower compared to the blank control group; the relative expression of messenger ribonucleic acid and protein in the resveratrol group cells, specifically mitogen-activated protein kinase and peroxisome proliferator gamma receptor coactivator 1-alpha, was found to be significantly higher compared to the colorectal cancer group. Resveratrol exhibits the potential to diminish the viability of colorectal cancer cells, impede the growth and metastasis of such cells, as well as prompt apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. The mechanism potentially exhibits a correlation between the regulations of AMP-activated protein kinase/ peroxisome proliferator gamma receptor coactivator 1-alpha signaling pathway.