Antioxidant and anti-atherogenic activities of olive oil phenolics

• Published in: International journal for vitamin and nutrition research Vol. 75; no. 1; pp. 61 - 70
• Main Authors: Turner, R, Etienne, N, Garcia Alonso, M, Pascual-Teresa, S. de, Minihane, A.M, Weinberg, P.D, Rimach, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland 2005
• Subjects: Antioxidants - pharmacology; Arteriosclerosis - prevention & control; atherogenesis; binding proteins; blood platelet aggregation; blood platelets; cardioprotective effect; cell adhesion molecules; Cell Adhesion Molecules - metabolism; Cells, Cultured - drug effects; Chemokine CCL2 - biosynthesis; cultured cells; cytotoxicity; endothelium; Endothelium - drug effects; Endothelium - metabolism; Homovanillic Acid - chemistry; Homovanillic Acid - pharmacology; humans; hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - metabolism; In Vitro Techniques; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 - biosynthesis; Iridoids; lipid peroxidation; Lipoproteins, LDL - metabolism; low density lipoprotein; macrophages; Macrophages - drug effects; medicinal properties; nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide - biosynthesis; Olive Oil; phenolic compounds; Phenols - chemistry; Phenols - pharmacology; Phenylethyl Alcohol - analogs & derivatives; Phenylethyl Alcohol - chemistry; Phenylethyl Alcohol - pharmacology; Plant Oils - pharmacology; Platelet Aggregation - drug effects; protein synthesis; Pyrans - chemistry; Pyrans - pharmacology; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 - biosynthesis
• ISSN: 0300-9831
• DOI: 10.1024/0300-9831.75.1.61

The aim of the current study was to investigate the antioxidant and cellular activity of the olive oil phenolics oleuropein, tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, and homovanillic alcohol (which is also a major metabolite of hydroxytyrosol). Well-characterized chemical and biochemical assays were used to assess the antioxidant potential of the compounds. Further experiments investigated their influence in cell culture on cytotoxic effects of hydrogen peroxide and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), nitric oxide production by activated macrophages, and secretion of chemoattractant and cell adhesion molecules by the endothelium. Inhibitory influences on in vitro platelet aggregation were also measured. The antioxidant assays indicated that homovanillic alcohol was a significantly more potent antioxidant than the other phenolics, both in chemical assays and in prolonging the lag phase of LDL oxidation. Cell culture experiments suggested that the olive oil phenolics induce a significant reduction in the secretion of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (and a trend towards a reduced secretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1), and protect against cytotoxic effects of hydrogen peroxide and oxidized LDL. However, no influence on nitric oxide production or platelet aggregation was evident. The data show that olive oil phenolics have biochemical and cellular actions, which, if also apparent in vivo, could exert cardioprotective effects.