Olive extract hydroxytyrosol may assist in the treatment of breast cancer

A recently published study found that the Mediterranean health care company Euromed's olive fruit extract Mediterraneanox (containing standard hydroxytyrosol) has a chemical modulation effect on breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Hydroxytyrosol is a polyphenolic component with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, naturally occurring in olives and extra virgin olive oil.

Most drugs used to treat cancer are not selective for cells. While killing tumor cells, they also affect normal cells and trigger a variety of adverse reactions including free radical production.

The study aimed to understand whether hydroxytyrosol, when used in combination with the chemotherapy drugs epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide (as well as taxane-like mitotic inhibitors), has a chemical regulatory effect on breast cancer patients.

The researchers set up a three-blind randomized experiment to divide 40 female breast cancer patients into two groups: 20 patients in the treatment group took a single dose of Medicax (containing 15 mg of hydroxytyrosol) hard capsules per day, and 20 patients in the control group Take an equal amount of placebo every day.

Both groups of patients received the same course of chemotherapy, and the researchers observed changes in their plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1). Both proteases are involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, neovascularization, and metastasis in breast cancer patients.

The results showed that the plasma TIMP-1 level of patients receiving hydroxytyrosol was significantly lower than that of the control group, most likely due to the excellent antioxidant capacity of hydroxytyrosol.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stated that olive oil polyphenols (such as hydroxytyrosol) contribute to the anti-oxidation of blood lipids, but further research is needed to clarify the exact way hydroxytyrosol reduces TIMP-1 levels.