Yafteh

---

Background: Oleuropein (OE) is the most abundant biophenol compounds in olive leaves and its healthy effects as a strong antioxidant is well known. The oleuropein level in olives depends upon cultivated variety, climate, place, time and the method of extraction. In Lorestan province, many varieties of olive have been cultivated that the study of OE level in their leaves, as whilst sources of this material, is of great value. Materials and methods: In this work, the leaves of 13 varieties of cultivated olive in a research station in Khorramabad were collected. OE and related compounds were extracted in two 30 min successive stages in an ultrasonic bath using 30: 70 water/ethanol as solvent. For quantitative determination of OE in the extracts, a HPLC method with C-8 column was used. Results: The extraction method efficiently extracted OE from olive leaves and optimization of the HPLC method resulted in an appropriate separation and quantitation of the sample components. Study of the OE concentrations in 13 varieties of olive leaf samples indicated that the difference in OE level between olive varieties is quite significant. The minimum and maximum OE levels were observed in Kalamon variety, with 112. 9 mg/g, and Sevillana variety, with 235. 7 mg/g, respectively. Conclusion: Olive leave, is a cheap and wealth source of OE and according to the results of this work one can select the varieties to be used for the preparation of medicines containing high levels of this important antioxidant

---

Cisplatin is a major anti-neoplastic agent which nephrotoxicity is its main side effect and limits its usage in cancer chemotherapy. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly responsible for cisplatin induced nephropathy, so we determined the effects of oral administration of ethanolic olive leaf extract (OLE) as a plant antioxidant on nephrotoxicity of this drug. Material and methods: 21 adult male wistar rats were divided to 3 groups: “OLE75+CP” group [14 days of oral administration of OLE (75mg/kg) before i.p. injection of 5mg/kg cisplatin], “Water+CP” group [14 days of oral administration of water before i.p. injection of cisplatin] and “Water+Saline” [As previous group with administration of saline instead of cisplatin]. Plasma samples were collected 72h after cisplatin injection and Urine samples were collected for 24h before blood sampling. Plasma creatinine (PCr) and urea, fractional excretion of Na and K, creatinine clearance and relative kidney weights were determined in various groups as kidney function tests. Results: Cisplatin led to significant deterioration of all of this kidney function tests. Oral aministration of OLE significantly reduced PCr and fractional excretion of K. Plasma urea level was lower in “OLE75+CP” than Water+CP” group with a marginally significant level (p=0.08). Other kidney function tests were not significantly different between these 2 groups. Conclusion: Low dose oral administration of an olive leaf extract preparation (especially enriched in oleuropein) for 14 days could partially reduce cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity in rats. The effects of higher doses of the extract remains to be investigated.

---

Background: Olive has a protective effect against chronic inflammatory conditions. However, it is not clear weather this effect is due to its immunomodulatory or antioxidant property. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of olive leaf extract on serum levels of Th-17 related cytokines and its antioxidant properties. Materials and Methods: 40 male rats divided into 5 groups, and were treated by placebo (Control group), vitamin C (as a known and potent antioxidant) and different doses of olive leaf extract. Four test groups, received vitamin C 10 mg/kg and olive leaf extract which contained 5, 10 and 15 mg/kg Oleuropein. All treatments were applied for 10 consecutive days orally via gavage. After this period, cardiac puncture was performed to retrieve blood from animals in order to determine interleukin 17, 23 and TGF&beta; levels in their serum by ELISA method. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT) activities and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS, as a lipid peroxidation marker) were assayed in right brain hemisphere of treated animals. Results: TBARS increased significantly in control group when compared to the other groups (p<0.05). GPx and SOD enzymes indicated higher activity in the animal group which was treated with 15mg/kg Oleuropein, in comparison with control group and a group who treated with 5mg/kg Oleuropein (p<0.05). Although there were no significant difference in IL-23 and IL-17 levels among control and test groups (p>0.05), TGF&beta; concentration was significantly lower in animals which treated by 5 and 15 mg/kg of Oleuropein. Conclusion: Olive leaf extract, which contains Oleuropein, had a significant antioxidant effect on the brain of studied animals, while it was not able to change the Th-17 cell-related cytokines (Except TGF&beta;) significantly. Therefore, it could conclude that the protective role of olive against chronic degenerative diseases is related to its antioxidant properties rather than its effects on pathogenic cytokine profile of Th17 cells.