Oral Supplementation with Hydroxytyrosol Synthesized Using Genetically Modified Escherichia coli Strains and Essential Oils Mixture: A Pilot Study on the Safety and Biological Activity.

Several natural compounds have been explored as immune-boosting, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory dietary supplements. Amongst them, hydroxytyrosol, a natural antioxidant found in olive products, and endemic medicinal plants have attracted the scientific community's and industry's interest. We investigated the safety and biological activity of a standardised supplement containing 10 mg of hydroxytyrosol synthesized using genetically modified Escherichia coli strains and equal amounts (8.33 µL) of essential oils from Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum, Salvia fruticosa and Crithmum maritimum in an open-label, single-arm, prospective clinical study. The supplement was given to 12 healthy subjects, aged 26-52, once a day for 8 weeks. Fasting blood was collected at three-time points (weeks 0, 8 and follow-up at 12) for analysis, which included full blood count and biochemical determination of lipid profile, glucose homeostasis and liver function panel. Specific biomarkers, namely homocysteine, oxLDL, catalase and total glutathione (GSH) were also studied. The supplement induced a significant reduction in glucose, homocysteine and oxLDL levels and was tolerated by the subjects who reported no side effects. Cholesterol, triglyceride levels and liver enzymes remained unaffected except for LDH. These data indicate the supplement's safety and its potential health-beneficial effects against pathologic conditions linked to cardiovascular disease.

Herbicide Use in the Era of Farm to Fork: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Future Implications.

Climate change mitigation is a major concern of the European Union (EU). In 2019, the EU presented the European Green Deal (EGD), a new environmental strategy that aimed to neutralize climate change by 2050. Within its policy areas, the EGD included the Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy that aims to reduce pesticide use by 50%, by 2030. This reduction was proposed due to the supposed negative effects of pesticides on the environment and its biota. Among the different pesticide groups (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, etc.) though, herbicides are perhaps the hardest to reduce. This review aimed to shed light to any factors that might hinder the reduction of herbicide use; thus, the implementation of the Farm to Fork Strategy underlines some of its weaknesses and highlights key points of a viable herbicide reduction-related policy framework. The literature suggests that integrated weed management (IWM) consists perhaps the most suitable approach for the reduction of herbicides in the EU. Even though it is too soon to conclusively assess F2F, its success is not impossible.

Sustainable diets & medicinal aromatic plants in Greece: Perspectives towards climate change.

In recent years, climate change continuously concerns the scientific community about its effects on agrobiodiversity, food safety and human health. Remodeling to sustainable diets and lifestyles is proved to be the most radical need to tackle this grave phenomenon. The goals of this commentary are to present the Greek traditional Mediterranean diet as a principal sustainable diet, to emphasize the role of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Greece as indispensable components of this healthy dietary pattern, and to discuss the potential results of climate change at their phytochemical content. Moreover, the impact of climate challenge at the occurrence of Greek MAPs and their survival is also described. Multiple approaches for addressing this challenge are proposed, as well as recommendations for specific actions with a focus on Greek traditional Mediterranean diet and MAPs of Greece.