Abstract
A preliminary study to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with olive phenols (oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol and secoiridoids), thyme phenols and a combination of these (5 mg per kg rat weight per day) on the α-tocopherol concentrations in the muscle and liver of healthy adult Wistar rats over 21 days was conducted. In addition, the excretion of α-tocopherol through the faeces was examined. The results demonstrated that the diet supplemented with some phenolic compounds of olive and thyme increased α-tocopherol (P < 0.05) in the liver of female rats, although the α-tocopherol content in the diet of all groups was identical. In addition, a synergic effect between the olive phenols and thyme was observed. Therefore, our study indicates a protective effect of olive and thyme phenols supplemented in the diet on α-tocopherol, resulting in a higher concentration of endogenous α-tocopherol in the rat liver.
Highlights
Vitamin E is an essential micronutrient in the diet of all mammals
It acts as a potent antioxidant in biological systems.[1,2]. It is the main chain-breaking antioxidant that prevents the propagation of free radical reactions[3] and their damage to tissues, especially with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which are prone to oxidation.[4]
Forty-eight male and female Wistar rats weighing between 300–350 g were obtained from Charles River Laboratories (Barcelona, Spain). They were separated into six groups with 8 rats in each group (4 males, 4 females): Control diet, Oleuropein (OLE), Secoiridoids (SEC), Hydroxytyrosol (HT), Secoiridoids combined with thyme phenols (SEC + T), and Thyme phenols (T) (Table S1, Electronic supplementary information (ESI)†)
Summary
Vitamin E is an essential micronutrient in the diet of all mammals. It acts as a potent antioxidant in biological systems.[1,2] It is the main chain-breaking antioxidant that prevents the propagation of free radical reactions[3] and their damage to tissues, especially with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which are prone to oxidation.[4]. The search for natural antioxidants, especially from plants, has intensified in recent years.[7,10]
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