Olive Oil Phenols

Olive oils contain numerous substances that have a beneficial role in human health. Phenols are natural compounds that are present in extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), and they are produced at the malaxation step of the olive oil production. The four most abundant phenols in EVOO are oleocanthal, oleacein, ligstroside aglycon, and oleuropein aglycon. These phenols exhibit significant biological effects in many diseases, participating in various cellular and biochemical processes. Oleocanthal can protect and prevent against the Alzheimer disease, demonstrates acute antiplatelet effects, which has a vital role against cancer, and can act like ibuprofen. Oleacein has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and helps against atherosclerosis. Moreover, it acts as an antiaging factor and as a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor. Ligstroside aglycon implicates to mechanisms against breast cancer, while oleuropein aglycon shows activities against the Alzheimer disease and breast cancer

2,3-cis-2R,3R-(−)-epiafzelechin-3-O-p-coumarate, a novel flavan-3-ol isolated from Fallopia convolvulus seed, is an estrogen receptor agonist in human cell lines

BACKGROUND: The plant genus Fallopia is well-known in Chinese traditional medicine and includes many species that contain bioactive compounds, namely phytoestrogens. Consumption of phytoestrogens may be linked to decreased incidence of breast and prostate cancers therefore discovery of novel phytoestrogens and novel sources of phytoestrogens is of interest. Although phytoestrogen content has been analyzed in the rhizomes of various Fallopia sp., seeds of a Fallopia sp. have never been examined for phytoestrogen presence. METHODS: Analytical chemistry techniques were used with guidance from an in vitro estrogen receptor bioassay (a stably transfected human ovarian carcinoma cell line) to isolate and identify estrogenic components from seeds of Fallopia convolvulus. A transiently transfected human breast carcinoma cell line was used to characterize the biological activity of the isolated compounds on estrogen receptors (ER) α and β. RESULTS: Two compounds, emodin and the novel flavan-3-ol, (−)-epiafzelechin-3-O-p-coumarate (rhodoeosein), were identified to be responsible for estrogenic activity of F. convolvulus seed extract. Absolute stereochemistry of rhodoeosein was determined by 1 and 2D NMR, optical rotation and circular dichroism. Emodin was identified by HPLC/DAD, LC/MS/MS, and FT/ICR-MS. When characterizing the ER specificity in biological activity of rhodoeosein and emodin, rhodoeosein was able to exhibit a four-fold greater relative estrogenic potency (REP) in breast cells transiently-transfected with ERβ as compared to those transfected with ERα, and emodin exhibited a six-fold greater REP in ERβ-transfected breast cells. Cell type-specific differences were observed with rhodoeosein but not emodin; rhodoeosein produced superinduction of reporter gene activity in the human ovarian cell line (> 400% of maximum estradiol [E2] induction) but not in the breast cell line. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to characterize the novel flavan-3-ol compound, rhodoeosein, and its ability to induce estrogenic activity in human cell lines. Rhodoeosein and emodin may have potential therapeutic applications as natural products activating ERβ, and further characterization of rhodoeosein is necessary to evaluate its selectivity as a cell type-specific ER agonist

Differential effect of Pistacia vera extracts on experimental atherosclerosis in the rabbit animal model: an experimental study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lipid-enriched diets and oxidative stress are risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis. The effects of the methanolic (ME) and cyclohexane (CHE) extracts of the <it>Pistacia vera </it>nut, often included in the Mediterranean diet, were studied in the rabbit model of atherosclerosis.</p> <p>Methods and results</p> <p>Twenty-four New Zealand White rabbits received atherogenic diet (Control Group), supplemented with ME (Group ME) or CHE (Group CHE) for 3 months. Previously, a GC-MS and a UHPLC LC-DAD-ESI(-)-HRMS/MS method were developed to investigate the extracts' chemical profiles. Blood samples at baseline and monthly determined lipid profile, lipid peroxidation and liver function. The aorta, myocardium and liver were examined histologically at 3 months.</p> <p>Groups ME and CHE had significantly higher HDL- and non-significantly lower LDL-cholesterol median % changes from baseline than the Control Group. Triacylglycerol was significantly higher in Group CHE vs. Control. MDA values were significantly lower in Group ME vs. Control and CHE. ALT and AST were significantly higher in Group CHE vs. Control. γ-GT was lower in Group ME vs. Control. Aortic intimal thickness was significantly less in Groups ME and CHE vs. Control; Group ME atherosclerotic lesions were significantly less extensive vs. Groups Control and CHE. Only Group CHE had significant liver fatty infiltration.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>During short-term administration concomitantly with atherogenic diet, both <it>P. vera </it>extracts were beneficial on HDL-, LDL-cholesterol and aortic intimal thickness. The ME additionally presented an antioxidant effect and significant decrease of aortic surface lesions. These results indicate that <it>P. vera </it>dietary inclusion, in particular its ME, is potentially beneficial in atherosclerosis management.</p

A Method for the Rapid Measurement of Alkylresorcinols in Flour, Bread and Related Products Based on 1H qNMR

The main objectives of the current work were to investigate differences among flours from traditionally preserved Greek varieties of cereals, and especially those of wheat, and in parallel, to correlate those potential differences with the presence of bioactive natural ingredients. In this context, we developed a new, fast, and simple method for the measurement of total 5-alkylresorcinols in cereals and related foods by qNMR. Several types of flour (white or whole-grain) coming from wheat, i.e., Triticum dicoccum, T. monococcum, T. aestivum, T. durum and T. turgidum, corn, barley, rye and oat from a certified producer in Greece were used either as raw materials or for the production of bread, pasta and flakes. A small portion of the flour or the corresponding product was extracted with DMSO-d6. The liquid part was directly analyzed by NMR (400 MHz). The simplicity of the NMR spectrum of the total extract and the lack of overlapping peaks permitted the development of a high throughput quantitative method for the measurement of total bioactive alkylresorcinols in less than 15 min. Grains, whole grain flours and breads from old varieties of T. dicoccum and T.monococcum showed high contents of alkylresorcinols (455&ndash;1148 mg/Kg), while the same compounds were completely absent from white flour and the corresponding bread. The term high-phenolic flour is proposed to distinguish among flour types

Uso de secoiridoides para el tratamiento de la neuritis óptica

Uso de secoiridoides para el tratamiento de la neuritis óptica. La presente invención se refiere al uso de secoiridoides oleaceína y oleocantal para prevenir o tratar las neuropatías que conducen a una lesión del nervio óptico tales como neuritis óptica. Asimismo, la presente invención se refiere a una composición farmacéutica o a una composición nutracéutica que comprende dichos secoiridoides.Peer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España), University of Athens Liaison Office with CompaniesA1 Solicitud de patente con informe sobre el estado de la técnic

High-Throughput 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Based Screening for the Identification and Quantification of Heartwood Diterpenic Acids in Four Black Pine (Pinus nigra Arn.) Marginal Provenances in Greece

A high-throughput quantitative Nuclear Magnetic Resonance 1H-NMR method was developed and applied to screen the quantity of the diterpenic resin acids in the heartwood of black pine, due to the renewed scientific interest in their medicinal properties and use in various diseases treatment. The 260 samples were taken from Pinus nigra clones, selected from four provenances of the Peloponnese (Greece), participating in a 35-year-old clonal seed orchard. Total resin acids per dry heartwood weight (dhw) varied greatly, ranging from 30.05 to 424.70 mg/gdhw (average 219.98 mg/gdhw). Abietic was the predominant acid (76.77 mg/gdhw), followed by palustric acid (47.94 mg/gdhw), neoabietic acid (39.34 mg/gdhw), and pimaric acid (22.54 mg/gdhw). Dehydroabietic acid was at moderate levels (11.69 mg/gdhw), while levopimaric, isopimaric, and sandaracopimaric acids were in lower concentrations. The resin acid fraction accounted for 72.33% of the total acetone extractives. Stilbenes were presented in significant quantities (19.70%). The resin acid content was composed mainly of the abietane type resin acids (83.56%). Peloponnesian Pinus nigra heartwood was found to be the richest source of resin acids identified to date and is considered the best natural source for the production of such bioactive extracts. The results indicate a high potential for effective selection and advanced breeding of pharmaceutical and high economic value bioactive substances from Pinus nigra clones

Uso de secoiridoides para el tratamient o la prevención de enfermedades inflamatorias inmunomediadas

Uso de secoiridoides para el tratamiento o la prevención de enfermedades inflamatorias inmunomediadas. La presente invención se refiere al uso de secoiridoides, tales como oleaceína y oleocantal, para prevenir o tratar enfermedades que provocan alteraciones gastrointestinales inmunomediadas. Además, la presente invención se refiere a una composición farmacéutica o composición nutracéutica que comprende dichos secoiridoides.Peer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España)A1 Solicitud de patente con informe sobre el estado de la técnic

Use of secoiridoids fro the treatment of optic neuritis

The present invention relates to the use of the secoiridois oleacein and oleocanthal to prevent or treat neuropathies that conduct to optic nerve injury such as optic neuritis. Also, the present invention relates to pharmaceutical composition or nutraceutical composition comprising said secoiridois.Peer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España), University of Athens Liaison Office with CompaniesA1 Solicitud de patente con informe sobre el estado de la técnic

Direct Quantitation of Phytocannabinoids by One-Dimensional 1H qNMR and Two-Dimensional 1H-1H COSY qNMR in Complex Natural Mixtures

The widespread use of phytocannabinoids or cannabis extracts as ingredients in numerous types of products, in combination with the legal restrictions on THC content, has created a need for the development of new, rapid, and universal analytical methods for their quantitation that ideally could be applied without separation and standards. Based on previously described qNMR studies, we developed an expanded 1H qNMR method and a novel 2D-COSY qNMR method for the rapid quantitation of ten major phytocannabinoids in cannabis plant extracts and cannabis-based products. The 1H qNMR method was successfully developed for the quantitation of cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabichromenic acid (CBCA), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), &Delta;9-tetrahydrocannabinol (&Delta;9-THC), &Delta;9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (&Delta;9-THCA), &Delta;8-tetrahydrocannabinol (&Delta;8-THC), cannabielsoin (CBE), and cannabidivarin (CBDV). Moreover, cannabidivarinic acid (CBDVA) and &Delta;9-tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid (&Delta;9-THCVA) can be distinguished from CBDA and &Delta;9-THCA respectively, while cannabigerovarin (CBGV) and &Delta;8-tetrahydrocannabivarin (&Delta;8-THCV) present the same 1H-spectra as CBG and &Delta;8-THC, respectively. The COSY qNMR method was applied for the quantitation of CBD, CBDA, CBN, CBG/CBGA, and THC/THCA. The two methods were applied for the analysis of hemp plants; cannabis extracts; edible cannabis medium-chain triglycerides (MCT); and hemp seed oils and cosmetic products with cannabinoids. The 1H-NMR method does not require the use of reference compounds, and it requires only a short time for analysis. However, complex extracts in 1H-NMR may have a lot of signals, and quantitation with this method is often hampered by peak overlap, with 2D NMR providing a solution to this obstacle. The most important advantage of the COSY NMR quantitation method was the determination of the legality of cannabis plants, extracts, and edible oils based on their THC/THCA content, particularly in the cases of some samples for which the determination of THC/THCA content by 1H qNMR was not feasible