Oleuropein prevents the progression of steatohepatitis to hepatic fibrosis induced by a high-fat diet in mice

Eating an olive leaf extract called oleuropein could prevent organ scarring caused by inflammatory liver disease, according to a mouse study from researchers in South Korea. A team led by Seung Kew Yoon from Department of Internal Medicine and Catholic University Liver Research Center, Seoul, fed mice one of three meal plans: a regular diet, a high-fat diet, or a high-fat diet supplemented with oleuropein. The mice on the high-fat diet were obese and suffered from liver fibrosis. In contrast, the mice that also received oleuropein displayed reduced liver tissue scarring, although they had similar amounts of fat accumulation in the liver. The researchers suggest that oleuropein, which has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, could be used to prevent the progression of fibrosis in people with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a common liver inflammation disorder caused by an accumlation of fat in the liver.