Olive Oil Phenols: Chemistry, Synthesis, Metabolism, Fate, And Their Allied Health Claims

Oleuropein, 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) ethanol, amounts to 60–140 mg/g of dry weight of olive leaves and is the most prevalent nontoxic secoiridoids found in olive cultivars. Oleuropein and its derivative hydroxytyrosol are structural components of olive stone. Likewise, hydroxytyrosol 4-(2-hydroxyethyl-1, 2-benzenediol), is quantitatively the major phenolic constituents in olive oil. Both phenolic compounds have an inductive effect on liver glutathione S-transferases owing to high antioxidant activity and reveal several pharmacological characteristics such as: preventing cancer, lowering cardiovascular disorders, and inhibiting platelet aggregation. Oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol exhibited anticancer potential on HT-29 and leukemia HL-60 cancer cells; and suppressed the cell growth of 786-O, LN-18, renal cell adenocarcinoma, malignant melanoma of the skin–lymph node metastasis, RPMI-7951, colorectal adenocarcinoma cells, TF-1a, T-47D, and erythroleukemia. Moreover, these phenolics possess protective effect on arrhythmia, adrenaline, and intestinal muscle spasms in cardiovascular diseases. Oleuropein also exhibits neuroprotective activity through developing noncovalent bonding with the As peptide. Furthermore, hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein have antimicrobial potential that inhibits the growth rate of numerous human intestinal pathogens such as Moraxella catarrhalis and Staphylococcus aureus. This chapter reviews research on potential benefits of consumption of hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein and their pharmacological use to prevent cardiovascular and neurodegenerative ailments.