Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Determination of Pentacyclic Triterpenoid Concentrations in Additives for Animal Food.

The nutritional composition of food for animal production can be enhanced using olive tree and plant by-products due to their high content of bioactive compounds such as pentacyclic triterpenes. Here, we present a novel application of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the prediction of the total or individual [maslinic acid (MA), oleanolic acid (OA), and uvaol (UO)] pentacyclic triterpene concentrations in a feed additive obtained from a plant mixture. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity of these types of samples demonstrated the existence of a high antioxidant capacity. The conventional determination methods of pentacyclic triterpene concentration are costly, labor-intensive, and not practical for analyzing several lines within a limited timeframe at the factory level. The optimal regression model developed in our work demonstrated high correlation values for the calibration and validation sets, along with a high residual prediction deviation value. We used 63 samples for the development of the model. The NIRS method can be applied directly to dried powder and makes extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis unnecessary. Our results also demonstrate that NIRS can accurately quantify pentacyclic triterpenes even at low concentrations in food additives. It can be used at the factory level to directly determine the pentacyclic triterpene concentrations in the additive powder at the same time that the powder is produced.

Nutraceutical Role of Polyphenols and Triterpenes Present in the Extracts of Fruits and Leaves of Olea europaea as Antioxidants, Anti-Infectives and Anticancer Agents on Healthy Growth.

There is currently a worldwide consensus and recognition of the undoubted health benefits of the so-called Mediterranean diet, with its intake being associated with a lower risk of mortality. The most important characteristics of this type of diet are based on the consumption of significant amounts of fruit, vegetables, legumes, and nuts, which provide, in addition to some active ingredients, fiber and a proportion of vegetable protein, together with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as the main sources of vegetable fat. Fish and meat from poultry and other small farm animals are the main sources of protein. One of the main components, as already mentioned, is EVOO, which is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and to a lesser extent in polyunsaturated fatty acids. The intake of this type of nutrient also provides an important set of phytochemicals whose health potential is widely spread and agreed upon. These phytochemicals include significant amounts of anthocyanins, stilbenes, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenes of varying complexities. Therefore, the inclusion in the diet of this type of molecules, with a proven healthy effect, provides an unquestionable preventive and/or curative activity on an important group of pathologies related to cardiovascular, infectious, and cancerous diseases, as well as those related to the metabolic syndrome. The aim of this review is therefore to shed light on the nutraceutical role of two of the main phytochemicals present in Olea europaea fruit and leaf extracts, polyphenols, and triterpenes, on healthy animal growth. Their immunomodulatory, anti-infective, antioxidant, anti-aging, and anti-carcinogenic capabilities show them to be potential nutraceuticals, providing healthy growth.

Effects of Erythrodiol on the Antioxidant Response and Proteome of HepG2 Cells.

Erythrodiol (EO) is a pentacyclic triterpenic alcohol found in olive tree leaves and olive oil, and it has important effects on the health properties and quality of olive oil. In this study, we characterized the cytotoxic effects of EO on human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cells by studying changes in cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, antioxidant defense systems, and the proteome. The results reveal that EO markedly decreased HepG2 cell viability without changing ROS levels. The concentrations of glutathione and NADPH were significantly reduced, with selective changes in the activity of several antioxidant enzymes: glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. Proteomic data reveal that EO led to the complete elimination or decreased abundance of 41 and 3 proteins, respectively, and the abundance of 29 proteins increased. The results of functional enrichment analysis show that important metabolic processes and the nuclear transport of mature mRNA were impaired, whereas AMP biosynthesis and cell cycle G2/M phase transition were induced. The transcription factors and miRNAs involved in this response were also identified. These potent antiproliferative effects make EO a good candidate for the further analysis of its hepatic antitumor effects in in vivo studies.