Aarhus Universitets segl

Almindelig olivensort udmærker sig som hæmmer af Parkinsons sygdom

Sammensætningerne af antioxidanter i en bestemt art af olivenfrugter har vist sig at kunne beskytte mod Parkinsons sygdom. Da Parkinsons sygdom er en af de mest almindelige neurodegenerative sygdomme, der stadig ikke findes nogen kur for, er dette et vigtigt fund på vejen for at bekæmpe denne invaliderende sygdom.

Hossein Mohammad-Beigi og Daniel Otzen viser, at en specifik og almindelig almindelig olivensort udmærker sig som en naturlig hæmmer for Parkinsons sygdom (Foto: Colourbox.com)

Parkinson’s disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by the breakdown of important nerve cells due to the build-up of certain substances inside these nerve cells, known as Lewy bodies. The build-up of Lewy bodies causes the symptoms you may have seen in PD patients: shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulties walking.

The major component of Lewy bodies is the protein called alpha-synuclein (?SN), which readily clumps together with fellow-?SN to form complexes of varying size. It can both be small soluble complexes (?SN-oligomers, ?SOs) as well as large insoluble aggregates (fibrils). Of these the ?SOs are thought to be the most toxic species.

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If we can prevent or reduce ?SN aggregation we have a good way to halt PD development and its crippling symptoms. Consequently, there has been an intense hunt for molecules that prevent ?SN fibrillation and oligomerization and/or reduce the toxicity of aggregates that have already been formed. Olive fruit extracts contain a certain kind of antioxidants (natural preservatives in various food) called polyphenols, which previously have been found to protect against a number of chronic degenerative conditions.

There are hundreds of olive varieties, classified based on their origin. During his research in the lab of Daniel Otzen, Dr. Hossein Mohammad-Beigi (now postdoc with Prof. Duncan Sutherland at iNANO) initiated studies on a number of different olive fruits from Iran to investigate whether specific beneficial polyphenol-rich olive varieties could be identified. A systematic study of the effect of fruit extracts of different olive varieties established that the most widely consumed olive strain, the Koroneiki strain, most efficiently inhibited ?SN fibrillation. The composition of different Polyphenolic molecules in the extracts differed markedly among olive varieties.

In general, it was shown that certain polyphenols efficiently reduce ?SN aggregate toxicity by redirecting ?SN aggregation towards nontoxic species. Consequently, the polyphenols in olive fruits play a significant role in protection against PD and the selection. Promotion of beneficial polyphenol-rich olive varieties for long-term use may have implications for long-term human health and help combat PD at the population level.

Read also: Exploring the impact of nanoparticle design on Parkinson's disease therapies


This work was financially supported by Center for International Scientific Studies and Collaboration (CISSC) and Independent Research Fund Denmark.


The research has been carried out by scientists from Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Department of Biomedicine-Medical Microbiology and Immunology at Aarhus University (AU) in collaboration with National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Iran), Rothamsted Research, (United Kingdom). Professor Daniel Otzen and Dr. Hossein Mohammad-Beigi have been in charge of the research team behind the study.

Read about the study in Journal of Biological Chemistry: Oleuropein derivatives from olive fruit extracts reduce ?-synuclein fibrillation and oligomer toxicity

The paper was featured as one of the Recommended Reads by Journal of Biological Chemistry.


Mere information

Professor Daniel Otzen
iNANO/Institut for Molekylærbiologi og Genetik, Aarhus Universitet
dao@inano.au.dk – 20725238