Abstract
The use of the products derived from the olive tree on human health dates back centuries. In several civilizations, the olive tree had and still has a very strong cultural and religious symbolism. Notably, the official seal and emblem of the World Health Organization features the rod of Asclepius over a world map surrounded by olive tree branches, chosen as a symbol of peace and health. Recently, accumulating experimental, clinical and epidemiological data have provided support to the traditional beliefs of the beneficial effect provided by olive derivates. In particular, the polyphenols present in olive leaves, olives, virgin (unrefined) olive oil and olive mill waste are potent antioxidant and radical scavengers with anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties. Here, we review the positive impact on human health of oleuropein, the most prevalent polyphenol present in olives. In addition, we provide data collected in our laboratory on the role of oleuropein in counteracting lipid accumulation in a mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Highlights
Archeological evidence suggests that Neolithic inhabitants of the Mediterranean basin have collected and consumed olives since the copper age and that during the third millenniumBC, the cultivation of olive trees and oil production were well established in the region
Oleuropein has a protective effect in counteracting low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, both in vitro, inhibiting, in a dose-dependent manner, LDL
tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and IL-1β are involved in a wide range of events, including vascular permeability [41], recruitment of inflammatory cells [42], induction of inducible inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxigenase-2 (COX-2) at the injury site. iNOs is one of the three distinct enzymes that produce nitric oxide (NO), a free radical gas molecule, which has a crucial role in the development of the secondary inflammatory response
Summary
Archeological evidence suggests that Neolithic inhabitants of the Mediterranean basin have collected and consumed olives since the copper age (sixth millennium BC) and that during the third millennium. The beneficial effects of virgin olive oil have been ascribed to the content of polyphenols, which exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-atherogenic, hypoglycemic, hepatic-, cardiac- and neuro-protective effects [2,3,4]. Virgin olive oil is consumed unrefined, and humans absorb a large part of the ingested olive oil phenols [5]. Oleuropein, the molecule responsible for unprocessed olives characteristic bitter taste [6], is the most prevalent phenolic component in olive leaves, seed, pulp and peel of unripe olives (up to 14% of the dry weight) (Table 1) [1]; during fruit maturation, oleuropein undergoes hydrolysis, yielding different products, including hydroxytyrosol (2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol). Several factors, including the kind of olive fruit, the ripening stage, the oil production and extraction technologies, determine the final content of oleuropein in virgin olive oil [8]. We provide original data on the role of oleuropein in counteracting lipid accumulation in a mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
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