Effects of oleuropein on tumor cell growth and bone remodelling: Potential clinical implications for the prevention and treatment of malignant bone diseases
Gaetano Leto Life Sciences Volume 264, 1 January 2021, 118694
Highlights
• Oleuropein, a phenolic compound present in olive leaves and fruits, exerts beneficial effects against various human diseases including cancer.
• This compounds may thwart cancer progression by modulating the expression and activity of several molecular pathways fostering this process.
• Most of these pathways also appear to favour the homing and growth of disseminating cancer cells in bones.
• These findings suggest a potential therapeutic role of Oleuropein in the prevention and treatment of bone tumors.
Oleuropein (Ole) is the main bioactive phenolic compound present in olive leaves, fruits and olive oil. This molecule has been shown to exert beneficial effects on several human pathological conditions. In particular, recent preclinical and observational studies have provided evidence that Ole exhibits chemo-preventive effects on different types of human tumors. Studies undertaken to elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying these effects have shown that this molecule may thwart several key steps of malignant progression, including tumor cell proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, by modulating the expression and activity of several growth factors, cytokines, adhesion molecules and enzymes involved in these processes. Interestingly, experimental observations have highlighted the fact that most of these signalling molecules also appear to be actively involved in the homing and growth of disseminating cancer cells in bones and, ultimately, in the development of metastatic bone diseases.
These findings, and the experimental and clinical data reporting the preventive activity of Ole on various pathological conditions associated with a bone loss, are indicative of a potential therapeutic role of this molecule in the prevention and treatment of cancer-related bone diseases. This paper provides a current overview regarding the molecular mechanisms and the experimental findings underpinning a possible clinical role of Ole in the prevention and development of cancer-related bone diseases.