Abstract
It is well established that plant phenolics elicit various biological activities, with positive effects on health. Palm oil production results in large volumes of aqueous by-products containing phenolics. In the present study, we describe the effects of oil palm phenolics (OPP) on several degenerative conditions using various animal models. OPP reduced blood pressure in a NO-deficient rat model, protected against ischaemia-induced cardiac arrhythmia in rats and reduced plaque formation in rabbits fed an atherogenic diet. In Nile rats, a spontaneous model of the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, OPP protected against multiple aspects of the syndrome and diabetes progression. In tumour-inoculated mice, OPP protected against cancer progression. Microarray studies on the tumours showed differential transcriptome profiles that suggest anti-tumour molecular mechanisms involved in OPP action. Thus, initial studies suggest that OPP may have potential against several chronic disease outcomes in mammals.
Highlights
It is well established that plant phenolics elicit various biological activities, with positive effects on health
Since the present study is the first to test the effects of oil palm phenolics (OPP) on animals, we arbitrarily chose 500 mg/l gallic acid equivalent (GAE) as the lowest concentration to investigate whether there were any biological effects on animals
The array of bioactivities displayed by OPP suggests its potential application for a range of chronic diseases
Summary
It is well established that plant phenolics elicit various biological activities, with positive effects on health. Because of their important protective biological functions, they are ubiquitous in plants and are found in almost all food groups Despite their wide distribution, the health effects of dietary phenolics have only recently attracted the interest of nutritionists, more attention having been paid before to antioxidant vitamins such as ascorbic acid, tocopherols and carotenoids. Emerging epidemiological evidence is increasingly attesting to the positive effects of fruits and vegetables in managing chronic and infectious diseases[1,2] These beneficial effects are attributed to the antioxidant activity of the constituent phenolic metabolites. The phenolic ring and hydroxyl substituents of these compounds can function as effective antioxidants due to their ability to capture free radicals by donating hydrogen atoms or electrons. Positive outcomes of oil palm phenolics various biological effects is essential for evaluation of the overall impact on disease risk and progression
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