Potential Uses of Olive Oil Secoiridoids for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: A Narrative Review of Preclinical Studies

Emma, Maria Rita; Augello, Giuseppa; Di Stefano, Vita; Azzolina, Antonina; Giannitrapani, Lydia; Montalto, Giuseppe; Cervello, Melchiorre; Cusimano, Antonella

doi:10.3390/ijms22031234

Open AccessReview

Potential Uses of Olive Oil Secoiridoids for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: A Narrative Review of Preclinical Studies

by

Maria Rita Emma

^1,†,

Giuseppa Augello

^1,†,

Vita Di Stefano

^2,†

,

Antonina Azzolina

¹,

Lydia Giannitrapani

^1,3,

Giuseppe Montalto

^1,3,

Melchiorre Cervello

^1,*

and

Antonella Cusimano

^1,*

¹

Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council (CNR), 90146 Palermo, Italy

²

Department of Biological, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy

³

Department of Health Promotion Sciences Maternal and Infantile Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

Co-first author.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(3), 1234; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22031234

Submission received: 20 December 2020 / Revised: 22 January 2021 / Accepted: 23 January 2021 / Published: 27 January 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antitumor Activities of Natural Compounds From Plants)

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Abstract

The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a combination of foods mainly rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients that have been shown to have many health-enhancing effects. Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is an important component of the MD. The importance of EVOO can be attributed to phenolic compounds, represented by phenolic alcohols, hydroxytyrosol, and tyrosol, and to secoiridoids, which include oleocanthal, oleacein, oleuropein, and ligstroside (along with the aglycone and glycosidic derivatives of the latter two). Each secoiridoid has been studied and characterized, and their effects on human health have been documented by several studies. Secoiridoids have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative properties and, therefore, exhibit anti-cancer activity. This review summarizes the most recent findings regarding the pharmacological properties, molecular targets, and action mechanisms of secoiridoids, focusing attention on their preventive and anti-cancer activities. It provides a critical analysis of preclinical, in vitro and in vivo, studies of these natural bioactive compounds used as agents against various human cancers. The prospects for their possible use in human cancer prevention and treatment is also discussed.

Keywords: secoiridoids; oleocanthal; oleacein; oleuropein; ligstroside; cancer

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MDPI and ACS Style

Emma, M.R.; Augello, G.; Di Stefano, V.; Azzolina, A.; Giannitrapani, L.; Montalto, G.; Cervello, M.; Cusimano, A. Potential Uses of Olive Oil Secoiridoids for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: A Narrative Review of Preclinical Studies. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 1234. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22031234

AMA Style

Emma MR, Augello G, Di Stefano V, Azzolina A, Giannitrapani L, Montalto G, Cervello M, Cusimano A. Potential Uses of Olive Oil Secoiridoids for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: A Narrative Review of Preclinical Studies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(3):1234. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22031234

Chicago/Turabian Style

Emma, Maria Rita, Giuseppa Augello, Vita Di Stefano, Antonina Azzolina, Lydia Giannitrapani, Giuseppe Montalto, Melchiorre Cervello, and Antonella Cusimano. 2021. "Potential Uses of Olive Oil Secoiridoids for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: A Narrative Review of Preclinical Studies" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22, no. 3: 1234. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22031234

APA Style

Emma, M. R., Augello, G., Di Stefano, V., Azzolina, A., Giannitrapani, L., Montalto, G., Cervello, M., & Cusimano, A. (2021). Potential Uses of Olive Oil Secoiridoids for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: A Narrative Review of Preclinical Studies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(3), 1234. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22031234

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Potential Uses of Olive Oil Secoiridoids for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: A Narrative Review of Preclinical Studies

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