Antioxidant and other biological activities of olive mill waste waters.
During olive oil production, large volumes of water are generated and subsequently discarded. Olives contain a variety of bioactive components, and some of them, according to their partition coefficients, end up in the water phase. The current investigation aimed at comparing different methods for the extraction of biologically active components of the olive mill waste waters (OMWW) and evaluating the in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the resulting extracts. The results indicate that OMWW extracts are able to inhibit human LDL oxidation (a process involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis) and to scavenge superoxide anions and hypochlorous acid at concentrations as low as 20 ppm. Finally, two of the three extracts also inhibited the production of leukotrienes by human neutrophils. The potency of the extracts depended on their degree of refinement: extracts containing only low molecular weight phenols were the most effective.
Visioli
F
F
Institute of Pharmacological Sciences, Milan, Italy. francesco.visoli@unimi.it
Romani
A
A
Mulinacci
N
N
Zarini
S
S
Conte
D
D
Vincieri
F F
FF
Galli
C
C
D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005511:Food Handling; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007975:Leukotriene B4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010938:Plant Oils; D013481:Superoxides; D018505:Waste Management
D000975:Antioxidants; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010636:Phenols; D010938:Plant Oils; C099252:oxidized low density lipoprotein; D013481:Superoxides; D007975:Leukotriene B4