Abstract
The olive-oil-centered Mediterranean diet has been associated with extended life expectancy and a reduction in the risk of age-related degenerative diseases. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) itself has been proposed to promote a “successful aging”, being able to virtually modulate all the features of the aging process, because of its great monounsaturated fatty acids content and its minor bioactive compounds, the polyphenols above all. Polyphenols are mostly antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, able to modulate abnormal cellular signaling induced by pro-inflammatory stimuli and oxidative stress, as that related to NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), which have been identified as important modulators of age-related disorders and aging itself. This review summarizes existing literature about the interaction between EVOO polyphenols and NF-κB and Nrf-2 signaling pathways. Reported studies show the ability of EVOO phenolics, mainly hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, to activate Nrf-2 signaling, inducing a cellular defense response and to prevent NF-κB activation, thus suppressing the induction of a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Literature data, although not exhaustive, indicate as a whole that EVOO polyphenols may significantly help to modulate the aging process, so tightly connected to oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.
Highlights
For over a decade, several studies have been showing that adherence to an olive oil-centeredMediterranean diet is associated with lower mortality and extended longevity [1,2]
extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) polyphenols are known to be principally antioxidants in the broadest sense of the word, being able to directly scavenge oxidant species and to increase cellular endogenous antioxidant defenses. They may control cellular redox balance and several redox-sensitive signaling pathways related to inflammation as NF-κB and NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) pathways
Several studies indicate that EVOO polyphenols, mainly HT, Tyr, and oleuropein, can activate Nrf-2 signaling and dependent genes expression, inducing a cellular defense response against oxidative injuries and pro-inflammatory stimuli
Summary
Several studies have been showing that adherence to an olive oil-centered. The polyphenols contained in EVOO have been demonstrated, for instance, to contribute to the maintenance of genomic stability, thanks to the capacity to protect DNA (nuclear and mitochondrial) against oxidative stress-induced harm [7,8] and to inhibit mitochondrial dysfunction sustaining endogenous antioxidant defenses (both non-enzymatic and enzymatic), attenuating the aging-related raise of lipid peroxidation [4] They are able to delay cellular senescence and alteration of intercellular communication pathways [9], likely through the modulation of the chronic inflammation (an example is steatohepatitis) that is strictly tangled with the aging process [10,11]. Still in rats, it was shown an extensive and rapid uptake of these compounds by several organs including heart, lungs, and skeletal muscle [34]
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