Traditional diets of people living in the Mediterranean basin are, among other components, very rich in extra-virgin
olive oil, the most typical source of visible fat. Olive is a priceless source of monounsaturated and di-
unsaturated fatty acids, polyphenolic
antioxidants and
vitamins.
Oleuropein is the main
glycoside in olives and is responsible for the bitter taste of immature and unprocessed olives. Chemically,
oleuropein is the
ester of
elenolic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl
ethanol, which possesses beneficial effects on human health, such as
antioxidant, antiatherogenic, anti-
cancer, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The phenolic fraction extracted from the leaves of the olive tree, which contains significant amounts of
oleuropein, prevents
lipoprotein oxidation. In addition,
oleuropein has shown cardioprotective effect against acute
adriamycin cardiotoxicity and an anti-ischemic and hypolipidemic activities. Recently,
oleuropein has shown neuroprotection by forming a non-covalent complex with the Aβ
peptide, which is a key hallmark of several degenerative diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson. Thus, a large mass of research has been accumulating in the area of
olive oil, in the attempt to provide evidence for the health benefits of
olive oil consumption and to scientifically support the widespread adoption of traditional
Mediterranean diet as a model of healthy eating. These results provide a molecular basis for some of the benefits potentially coming from
oleuropein consumption and pave the way to further studies on the possible pharmacological use of
oleuropein to prevent or to slow down the cardiovascular and
neurodegenerative diseases.