Olive leaf extracts reduce inflammation in endothelial cells from gestational diabetes women

Gestational diabetes (GD) impacts maternal and offspring health globally, with cardiovascular implications. Management focuses on blood sugar control through diet and lifestyle changes. Recycling agricultural waste is essential for obtaining valuable bioactive compounds and protecting the environment. Olive leaf extracts (OLE) offer diverse health benefits, with potential in food and pharmaceutical industries. OLE’s anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and antioxidant effects suggest promise in improving metabolic health and reducing cardiometabolic risks, though further research is needed. We investigated OLE’s anti-inflammatory effects on umbilical vein endothelial cells from diabetic women (GD-HUVECs), which exhibit a pro-inflammatory phenotype due to chronic hyperglycemia, leading to endothelial dysfunction. Initial experiments were designed to analyze the antioxidant phenolic compound profile of OLE from both cultivars by ultrasound assisted extraction and HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS characterized. Changlot Real and Picual extracts contained 14.7 and 8.7 mg/g of phenolic compounds, respectively. Various concentrations were tested by assessing cellular vitality (MTT). GD-HUVECs and control cells from healthy women (C-HUVECs) were then pre-treated with OLE (0.1, 10, and 50 µg/mL) for 24 hours before exposure to low levels of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α (10 ng/mL) for 16 hours. Protein expression of vascular adhesion molecule (VCAM-1, flow cytometry, p<0.05), monocyte-endothelium adhesion and expression of inflammatory markers were evaluated. Preliminary data shows that pre-treatment with Changlot Real and Picual OLE reduces VCAM-1 protein expression and monocyte adhesion, suggesting their anti-inflammatory potential. This underscores the importance of investigating bioactive-rich natural extracts to improve food function, alleviate inflammation, and enhance vascular health, especially in high-risk groups like gestational diabetic women.