New drugs from ancient natural foods. Oleocanthal, the natural occurring spicy compound of olive oil: a brief history.

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), a principal component of the Mediterranean diet (Med diet), is one of the most ancient known foods and has long been associated with health benefits. Many phenolic compounds extracted from Olea europea L. have attracted attention since their discovery. Among these phenolic constituents, oleocanthal has recently emerged as a potential therapeutic molecule for different diseases, showing relevant pharmacological properties in various pathogenic processes, including inflammation, cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we discuss and summarize the most recent pharmacological evidence for the medical relevance of oleocanthal, focusing our attention on its anti-inflammatory and chemotherapeutic roles.

Lipid peroxidation and biogenic aldehydes: from the identification of 4-hydroxynonenal to further achievements in biopathology.

The formation, reactivity and toxicity of aldehydes originating from lipid peroxidation of cellular membranes are reviewed. Very reactive aldehydes, namely 4-hydroxyalkenals, were first shown to be formed in autoxidizing chemical systems. It was subsequently shown that 4-hydroxyalkenals are formed in biological conditions, i.e. during lipid peroxidation of liver microsomes incubated in the NADPH-Fe systems. Our studies carried out in collaboration with Hermann Esterbauer which led to the identification of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) are reported. 4-HNE was the most cytotoxic aldehyde and was then assumed as a model molecule of oxidative stress. Many other aldehydes (alkanals, alk-2-enals and dicarbonyl compounds) were then identified in peroxidizing liver microsomes or hepatocytes. The in vivo formation of aldehydes in liver of animals intoxicated with agents that promote lipid peroxidation was shown in further studies. In a first study, evidence was forwarded for aldehydes (very likely alkenals) bound to liver microsomal proteins of CCl4 or BrCCl3-intoxicated rats. In a second study, 4-HNE and a number of other aldehydes (alkanals and alkenals) were identified in the free (non-protein bound) form in liver extracts from bromobenzene or allyl alcohol-poisoned mice. The detection of free 4-HNE in the liver of CCl(4) or BrCC1(3)-poisoned animals was obtained with the use of an electrochemical detector, which greatly increased the sensitivity of the HPLC method. Furthermore, membrane phospholipids bearing carbonyl groups were demonstrated in both in vitro (incubation of microsomes with NADPH-Fe) and in vivo (CC1(4) or BrCCl(3) intoxication) conditions. Finally, the results concerned with the histochemical detection of lipid peroxidation are reported. The methods used were based on the detection of lipid peroxidation-derived carbonyls. Very good results were obtained with the use of fluorescent reagents for carbonyls, in particular with 3-hydroxy-2-naphtoic acid hydrazide (NAH) and analysis with confocal scanning fluorescence microscopy with image video analysis. The significance of formation of toxic aldehydes in biological membranes is discussed.

On the history of basic fuchsin and aldehyde-Schiff reactions from 1862 to 1935.

The nature of products formed by aldehydes and Schiff's reagent, whether they are sulfonic or sulfinic acid compounds, has been the subject of much discussion. It seems therefore timely to review early studies of aldehyde-Schiff reactions, including the history of pararosanilin and related dyes. Dyes of the basic fuchsin group have been studied extensively since 1862, and their triphenylmethane structure was established in 1878. The currently used structural formulas were introduced around the turn of the century. Reactions of basic fuchsin with aldehydes, with and without addition of SO2, were investigated by Schiff in the 1860's i.e. before the structure of these dyes was known. In 1900 Prud'homme showed that the reaction products of basic fuschsin, sodium bisulfite and formaldehyde are alkylated and sulfonated derivatives of the parent compound; further chemical studies indicated attachment of the sulfonic acid group to the carbon atom of the aldehyde. Prud'homme's findings were repeatedly confirmed during the following decades. Wieland and Scheuing were apparently unaware of these studies and introduced the sulfinic acid theory in 1921; furthermore, they considered substitution at two amino group of Schiff's reagent essential for formation of the colored compound. However, later chemical and spectroscopic studies showed no evidence of-N-sulfinic acids but supported the sulfonic acid theory of Prud'homme.