FREE RADICAL-SCAVENGING PROPERTIES OF OLIVE OIL POLYPHENOLS

Plants in the Mediterranean basin, such as vine and olive trees, have developed an array of antioxidant defences to protect themselves from environmental stress. Accordingly, the incidence of coronary heart dis ease and certain cancers is lower in the Mediterranean area, where oli ve oil is the dietary fat of choice. As opposed to other vegetable oil s, extra virgin olive oil, which is obtained by physical pressure from a whole fruit, is rich in phenolic components that are responsible fo r the particular stability of the oil. We have investigated the scaven ging actions of some olive oil phenolics, namely hydroxytyrosol and ol europein, with respect to superoxide anion generation, neutrophils res piratory burst, and hypochlorous acid. The low EC(50)s indicate that b oth compounds are potent scavengers of superoxide radicals and inhibit ors of neutrophils respiratory burst: whenever demonstrated in vivo, t hese properties may partially explain the observed lower incidence of CHD and cancer associated with the Mediterranean diet. (C) 1998 Academ ic Press.