VALORization of OLivE mill wAste waters as a source of anti-inflammatory secoiridoids: cHaractErizAtion and formuLation to promote THeir use in human cardio- and osteo-metabolic diseases.
Progetto Extra virgin olive oil, the main product of Olea europaea L. fruits, is one of
the pillars of the Mediterranean Diet that has been strongly associated to
several health benefits, including protection from cardiovascular and
metabolic diseases, cancer, age-related bone health and cognitive decline. Of
note, Olea europaea L. by-products, such as olive mill wastewaters (OMWs),
contain large amounts of phenols that can be recovered and valorized by
food, agronomic, nutraceutical, and biomedical applications, according to a
circular economy strategy based on new technologies a methodology for an
agri-food sustainability and their environmental impact reduction. Among
phenols, the most interesting compounds are secoiridoids, exclusively
present in the Oleaceae family of which olives form Olea europaea L. are the
only edible fruits. The main secoiridoids in virgin olive oil are the
dialdehydic forms of decarboxymethylelenolic acid linked to hydroxytyrosol
(oleacin, OLE) or tyrosol (olecanthal), identified for the first time by the
Principal Investigator in 1993. During virgin olive oil production, around
48% of the olive total phenols end up in OMWs and OLE is the most
abundant.
The main goal of this proposal is the exploitation of the anti-inflammatory
activity of OMWs-purified phytocomplex (PHYC) and OLE to valorise and
promote the use of these bioactive molecules in biomedical and nutraceutical
sectors as natural health products.
In particular, the reduction of inflammation will be assessed by advanced in
vitro models, focusing on the modulation of inflammatory mediators
typically involved in chronic illnesses (i.e., type 2 diabetes and the associated
cardiovascular and osteo-metabolic complications). Notably, the
valorization of biological active compounds from OMWs will also increase
the profitability of the virgin olive oil agri-food chain and substantially
reduce its environmental impact.
To achieve the main aim, the VALOROLEAHEALTH consortium have
individuated the following objectives:
- To obtain large quantities of OMWs crude phenolic concentrate, PHYC
and purified OLE to significantly reduce their production cost and to
overcome the problem of their limited availability;
- To assess PHYC and OLE anti-inflammatory effects on advanced in vitro
pre-clinical models of cardio- and osteo-metabolic diseases, disclosing the
molecular mechanisms involved;
- To optimize PHYC and OLE delivery through innovative nanotechnology-
based strategies;
The main project goal will be realized by maximizing the synergy between
a multidisciplinary team of scientists from disciplines that span from food
science and technology, analytical and medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical
technology to biomedical sciences