Antioxidant Extracts from Greek and Spanish Olive Leaves: Antimicrobial, Anticancer and Antiangiogenic Effects
Ioana Zinuca Magyari-Pavel,
Elena-Alina Moacă,
Ștefana Avram,
Zorița Diaconeasa,
Daniela Haidu,
Mariana Nela Ștefănuț,
Arpad Mihai Rostas,
Delia Muntean,
Larisa Bora,
Bianca Badescu,
Cristian Iuhas,
Cristina Adriana Dehelean,
Corina Danciu
Affiliations
Ioana Zinuca Magyari-Pavel
Department of Pharmacognosy, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Elena-Alina Moacă
Department of Toxicology, Drug Industry, Management and Legislation, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Ștefana Avram
Department of Pharmacognosy, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Zorița Diaconeasa
Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine, Calea Manastur, 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Daniela Haidu
Romanian Academy “Coriolan Dragulescu” Institute of Chemistry, Bv. M. Viteazu, No. 24, 300223 Timisoara, Romania
Mariana Nela Ștefănuț
Department of Chemical and Electrochemical Syntheses, Laboratory of Electrochemical and Chemical Technologies, National Institute of Research and Development for Electrochemistry and Condensed Matter, Dr. A. P. Podeanu 144, 300569 Timişoara, Romania
Arpad Mihai Rostas
National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies-INCDTIM, 67-103 Donat, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Delia Muntean
Department of Microbiology, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timișoara, Romania
Larisa Bora
Department of Pharmacognosy, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Bianca Badescu
Doctoral School, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timișoara, Romania
Cristian Iuhas
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Victor Babes Street No. 8, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Cristina Adriana Dehelean
Department of Toxicology, Drug Industry, Management and Legislation, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Corina Danciu
Department of Pharmacognosy, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Olea europaea L. is the most valuable species of the Olea type, and its products offer a wide range of therapeutical uses. The olive tree has been extensively studied for its nourishing qualities, and the “Mediterranean diet”, which includes virgin olive oil as a key dietary component, is strongly associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and various malignancies. Olive leaves, a by-product in the olive harvesting process, are valued as a resource for developing novel phytomedicines. For this purpose, two ethanolic extracts obtained from Olivae folium from Spain (OFS) and Greece (OFG) were investigated. Our findings contribute to a wider characterization of olive leaves. Both extracts displayed important amounts of phenolic compounds and pentacyclic triterpenes, OFG having higher concentrations of both polyphenols, such as oleuropein and lutein, as well as triterpenes, such as oleanolic acid and maslinic acid. The antioxidant capacity is similar for the two extracts, albeit slightly higher for OFG, possibly due to metal polyphenol complexes with antioxidant activity. The extracts elicited an antimicrobial effect at higher doses, especially against Gram-positive bacteria, such as Streptococcus pyogenes. The extract with lower inorganic content and higher content of polyphenols and triterpenic acids induced a strong anti-radical capacity, a selective cytotoxic effect, as well as antimigratory potential on A375 melanoma cells and antiangiogenic potential on the CAM. No irritability and a good tolerability were noted after evaluating the extracts on the in vivo Hen’s Egg Test−Chorioallantoic Membrane (HET-CAM). Therefore, the present data are suggestive for the possible use of the two types of olive leaf products as high-antioxidant extracts, potentially impacting the healthcare system through their use as antimicrobial agents and as anticancer and anti-invasion treatments for melanoma.
