Oil palm phenolics suppresses oxidative stress and inflammation

Abstract

Water-soluble Oil Palm Phenolics (OPP), derived from Elaeis guineensis, contains a unique blend of plant phenolics. Recent cell and animal studies have demonstrated positive health benefits in a number of different organ systems, with almost no noticeable side effects. Its efficacy and non-toxicity may be in large part due to several active polyphenolic ingredients, rather than a single one. In this work, some of the coordinated mechanisms through which OPP functions to protect glial cells and chemical systems from oxidative stress and inflammation were studied. The antioxidant effects of OPP were analyzed based on its ability to act as a direct antioxidant against Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), the selective expression of several antioxidant enzymes when added to U-87 astroglial cells, activation of the inherent antioxidants of the body such as glutathione and change in protein expression of activated enzymes such as Heme Oxygenase 1. An image analysis assay was developed to study the effects of OPP on cell size, morphology and phagocytosis of Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) induced inflammation in BV-2 microglial cells. This study was followed by experiments to quantify the reduction of nitrite and anti-inflammatory protein expression changes after addition of OPP in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. The insights gained from the study of OPP mixture led to the experiments for probing the synergistic interactions and biological enhancement activity among the individual components of OPP by using chemical and cell-based assays. The results described in this thesis include several advancements towards the goal of manufacturing process development of Oil Palm Phenolics and are highlighted in the relevant sections.