Addition of Olive Leaf Extract to a Mixture of Algae and Extra Virgin Olive Oils Decreases Fatty Acid Oxidation and Synergically Attenuates Age-Induced Hypertension, Sarcopenia and Insulin Resistance in Rats

Algae-derived compounds: Bioactivity, allergenicity and technologies enhancing their values

As a rapidly growing source of human nutrients, algae biosynthesize diverse metabolites which have promising bioactivities. However, the potential allergenicity of algal components hinder their widespread adoption. This review provides a comprehensive review of various macro and micronutrients derived from algal biomass, with particular focus on bioactive compounds, including peptides, polyphenols, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids and phycocyanins. The approaches used to produce algal bioactive compounds and their health benefits (antioxidant, antidiabetic, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory) are summarised. This review particularly focuses on the state-of-the-art of precision fermentation, encapsulation, cold plasma, high-pressure processing, pulsed electric field, and subcritical water to reduce the allergenicity of algal compounds while increasing their bioactivity and bioavailability. By providing insights into current challenges of algae-derived compounds and opportunities for advancement, this review contributes to the ongoing discourse on maximizing their application potential in the food nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals industries.

Antioxidant and anti-ageing effects of oleuropein aglycone in canine skeletal muscle cells

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are normally produced in skeletal muscle. However, an imbalance in their regulatory systems can lead to their accumulation and ultimately to oxidative stress, which is one of the causes of the ageing process. Companion dogs share the same environment and lifestyle as humans, making them an excellent comparative model for the study of ageing, as well as they constitute a growing market for bioactive molecules that improve the quality of life of pets. The anti-ageing properties of oleuropein aglycone (OLE), a bioactive compound from olive leaves known for its antioxidant properties, were investigated in Myok9 canine muscle cell model. After incubation with OLE, senescence was induced in the canine cellular model by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Analyses were performed on cells after seven days of differentiation. The oxidative stress induced by H2O2 treatment on differentiated canine muscle cells led to a significant increase in ROS formation, which was reduced by OLE pretreatment alone or in combination with H2O2 by about 34% and 32%, respectively. Cells treated with H2O2 showed a 48% increase the area of senescent cells stained by SA-β-gal, while OLE significantly reduced the coloured area by 52%. OLE, alone or in combination with H2O2, showed a significant antioxidant activity, possibly through autophagy activation, as indicated by the expression of autophagic markers.

Aging adipose tissue, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes

With the increase of population aging, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is also rising. Aging affects the tissues and organs of the whole body, which is the result of various physiological and pathological processes. Adipose tissue has a high degree of plasticity and changes with aging. Aging changes the distribution of adipose tissue, affects adipogenesis, browning characteristics, inflammatory status and adipokine secretion, and increases lipotoxicity. These age-dependent changes in adipose tissue are an important cause of insulin resistance and T2D. Understanding adipose tissue changes can help promote healthy aging process. This review summarizes changes in adipose tissue ascribable to aging, with a focus on the role of aging adipose tissue in insulin resistance and T2D.

Potential of Fatty Acids in Treating Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review

This paper presents a systematic review of studies investigating the effects of fatty acid supplementation in potentially preventing and treating sarcopenia. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched using the keywords 'fatty acid' and 'sarcopenia'. Results: A total of 14 clinical and 11 pre-clinical (including cell and animal studies) studies were included. Of the 14 clinical studies, 12 used omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as supplements, 1 study used ALA and 1 study used CLA. Seven studies combined the use of fatty acid with resistant exercises. Fatty acids were found to have a positive effect in eight studies and they had no significant outcome in six studies. The seven studies that incorporated exercise found that fatty acids had a better impact on elderlies. Four animal studies used novel fatty acids including eicosapentaenoic acid, trans-fatty acid, and olive leaf extraction as interventions. Three animal and four cell experiment studies revealed the possible mechanisms of how fatty acids affect muscles by improving regenerative capacity, reducing oxidative stress, mitochondrial and peroxisomal dysfunctions, and attenuating cell death. Conclusion: Fatty acids have proven their value in improving sarcopenia in pre-clinical experiments. However, current clinical studies show controversial results for its role on muscle, and thus the mechanisms need to be studied further. In the future, more well-designed randomized controlled trials are required to assess the effectiveness of using fatty acids in humans.

Role of Hydroxytyrosol and Oleuropein in the Prevention of Aging and Related Disorders: Focus on Neurodegeneration, Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction and Gut Microbiota

Aging is a multi-faceted process caused by the accumulation of cellular damage over time, associated with a gradual reduction of physiological activities in cells and organs. This degeneration results in a reduced ability to adapt to homeostasis perturbations and an increased incidence of illnesses such as cognitive decline, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and skeletal muscle pathologies. Key features of aging include a chronic low-grade inflammation state and a decrease of the autophagic process. The Mediterranean diet has been associated with longevity and ability to counteract the onset of age-related disorders. Extra virgin olive oil, a fundamental component of this diet, contains bioactive polyphenolic compounds as hydroxytyrosol (HTyr) and oleuropein (OLE), known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties. This review is focused on brain, skeletal muscle, and gut microbiota, as these systems are known to interact at several levels. After the description of the chemistry and pharmacokinetics of HTyr and OLE, we summarize studies reporting their effects in in vivo and in vitro models of neurodegenerative diseases of the central/peripheral nervous system, adult neurogenesis and depression, senescence and lifespan, and age-related skeletal muscle disorders, as well as their impact on the composition of the gut microbiota.

Valorizing the usage of olive leaves, bioactive compounds, biological activities, and food applications: A comprehensive review

Olive oil production is a significant source of economic profit for Mediterranean nations, accounting for around 98 percent of global output. Olive oil usage has increased dramatically in recent years, owing to its organoleptic characteristics and rising knowledge of its health advantages. The culture of olive trees and the manufacture of industrial and table olive oil produces enormous volumes of solid waste and dark liquid effluents, involving olive leaves, pomace, and olive oil mill wastewaters. These by-products cause an economic issue for manufacturers and pose major environmental concerns. As a result, partial reuse, like other agronomical production wastes, is a goal to be achieved. Because these by-products are high in bioactive chemicals, which, if isolated, might denote components with significant added value for the food, cosmetic, and nutraceutical sectors, indeed, they include significant amounts of beneficial organic acids, carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, and phenolic materials, which are distributed differently between the various wastes depending on the olive oil production method and table olive agronomical techniques. However, the extraction and recovery of bioactive materials from chosen by-products is a significant problem of their reasonable value, and rigorous detection and quantification are required. The primary aims of this review in this context are to outline the vital bioactive chemicals in olive by-products, evaluate the main developments in extraction, purification, and identification, and study their uses in food packaging systems and safety problems.

A Nutraceutical Product Based on a Mixture of Algae and Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Olive Leaf Extract Attenuates Sepsis-Induced Cardiovascular and Muscle Alterations in Rats

Nutraceuticals are products of natural origin widely used for the treatment and/or prevention of some chronic diseases that are highly prevalent in Western countries, such as obesity or type II diabetes, among others. However, its possible use in the prevention of acute diseases that can put life at risk has been poorly studied. Sepsis is an acute condition that causes cardiovascular and skeletal muscle damage due to a systemic inflammatory state. The aim of this work was to evaluate the possible beneficial effect of a new nutraceutical based on a mixture of algae oil (AO) and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) supplemented with an olive leaf extract (OLE) in the prevention of cardiovascular alterations and skeletal muscle disorders induced by sepsis in rats. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were treated with the nutraceutical or with water p.o. for 3 weeks and after the treatment they were injected with 1mg/kg LPS twice (12 and 4 h before sacrifice). Pretreatment with the nutraceutical prevented the LPS-induced decrease in cardiac contractility before and after the hearts were subjected to ischemia-reperfusion. At the vascular level, supplementation with the nutraceutical did not prevent hypotension in septic animals, but it attenuated endothelial dysfunction and the increased response of aortic rings to the vasoconstrictors norepinephrine and angiotensin-II induced by LPS. The beneficial effects on cardiovascular function were associated with an increased expression of the antioxidant enzymes SOD-1 and GSR in cardiac tissue and SOD-1 and Alox-5 in arterial tissue. In skeletal muscle, nutraceutical pretreatment prevented LPS-induced muscle proteolysis and autophagy and significantly increased protein synthesis as demonstrated by decreased expression of MURF-1, atrogin-1, LC3b and increased MCH-I and MCH -IIa in gastrocnemius muscle. These effects were associated with a decrease in the expression of TNFα, HDAC4 and myogenin. In conclusion, treatment with a new nutraceutical based on a mixture of AO and EVOO supplemented with OLE is useful to prevent cardiovascular and muscular changes induced by sepsis in rats. Thus, supplementation with this nutraceutical may constitute an interesting strategy to reduce the severity and mortality risk in septic patients.

Nutri-Epigenetic Effects of Phenolic Compounds from Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A Systematic Review

Dietary components can induce epigenetic changes through DNA methylation, histone modification, and regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs). Studies of diet-induced epigenetic regulation can inform anticipatory trials and fine-tune public health guidelines. We systematically reviewed data on the effect of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and its phenolic compounds (OOPCs) on the epigenetic landscape. We conducted a literature search using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases and scrutinized published evidence. After applying selection criteria (e.g., inclusion of in vitro, animal, or human studies supplemented with EVOO or its OOPCs), we thoroughly reviewed 51 articles, and the quality assessment was performed using the revised Cochrane risk of bias tool. The results show that both EVOO and its OOPCs can promote epigenetic changes capable of regulating the expression of genes and molecular targets involved in different metabolic processes. For example, oleuropein (OL) may be an epigenetic regulator in cancer, and hydroxytyrosol (HT) modulates the expression of miRNAs involved in the development of cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases. We conclude that EVOO and its OOPCs can regulate gene expression by modifying epigenetic mechanisms that impact human pathophysiology. A full elucidation of the epigenetic effects of EVOO and its OOPCs may contribute to developing different pharma-nutritional strategies that exploit them as epigenetic agents. This study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) as CRD42022320316.

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids-Vascular and Cardiac Effects on the Cellular and Molecular Level (Narrative Review)

In the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, in addition to the already proven effective treatment of dyslipidemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are considered as substances with additive effects on cardiovascular health. N-3 PUFAs combine their indirect effects on metabolic, inflammatory and thrombogenic parameters with direct effects on the cellular level. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) seems to be more efficient than docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the favorable mitigation of atherothrombosis due to its specific molecular properties. The inferred mechanism is a more favorable effect on the cell membrane. In addition, the anti-fibrotic effects of n-3 PUFA were described, with potential impacts on heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction. Furthermore, n-3 PUFA can modify ion channels, with a favorable impact on arrhythmias. However, despite recent evidence in the prevention of cardiovascular disease by a relatively high dose of icosapent ethyl (EPA derivative), there is still a paucity of data describing the exact mechanisms of n-3 PUFAs, including the role of their particular metabolites. The purpose of this review is to discuss the effects of n-3 PUFAs at several levels of the cardiovascular system, including controversies.