Hydroxytyrosol: The Phytochemical Responsible for Bioactivity of Traditionally used Olive Pits

Abstract

The fruits of Olea europaea L. is widely consumed as food, and olive pits are utilized in folk medicine to relieve gastric disturbances. In the present study, the possible anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant activities of aqueous extracts of black (BP) and green olive (GP) pit prepared at gastric fed state pH were evaluated in vitro. Moreover, the bioactive compound, hydroxytyrosol (HT), was isolated from the extracts for the first time. According to results, GP extract (62.5 to 1000 µg/mL) showed significant anti-inflammatory activity in a dose-dependent manner and HT displayed significant nitrite inhibition at 100 µM with slight analgesic activity. Extracts and HT showed a significant antioxidant activity according to Total Antioxidant Capacity (TOAC), cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assays. As a conclusion, a proper formulation containing HT might be a potential remedy to relieve gastric disturbances and olive pits, can be utilized as a valuable industrial tool for the low-cost production of HT.