The Immunomodulatory Effects of a 6-Month Extra Virgin Olive Oil Intervention on Monocyte Cytokine Secretion and Plasma Cytokine Levels in Dyslipidemic and Post-Infarct Patients: A Clinical Pilot Study

• Published in: Nutrients 2023-08, Vol.15 (17), p.3819
• Main Authors: Zimmer, Adrien, Otrante, Alyann, Zoubdane, Nada, Nguyen, Michel, Fülöp, Tamàs, Khalil, Abdelouahed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular diseases; Cholesterol; Cytokines; Diet; EVOO; Fatty acids; High density lipoprotein; Hypercholesterolemia; Immunomodulators; infarcts; Inflammation; Lipids; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Metabolic disorders; monocyte; Olive oil; Pilot projects; Plasma; Polyphenols; Tumor necrosis factor; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu15173819

Atherosclerosis is an immuno-inflammatory process underlying cardiovascular diseases. One of the main actors of this inflammation is monocytes, with the switch in their phenotypes and irregularities in their cytokine production. Objective: This study was aimed to investigate the nutraceutical potential of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) on the inflammatory status of monocytes in participants showing different levels of cardiovascular risk. Methods: 43 participants 65–85 years old were recruited including 14 healthy, 12 dyslipidemic patients with hypercholesterolemia recently diagnosed, and 17 post-infarct patients. Participants from all groups were supplemented with EVOO (25 mL/day) for 6 months. IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α cytokine production, and monocyte phenotypes were investigated both at quiescent and at stimulated state by flow cytometry. Results: At the baseline (pre-intervention), dyslipidemic patients, compared to healthy and post-infarct participants, showed monocytes in an inflammatory state characterized by a significantly weaker IL-10 production. Our results do not show a significant modulation of the phenotype or IL-10, IL-6, and TNF-α production following a 6-month EVOO intake whether at quiescence or under stimulation. However, IL-1β is significantly increased by the intervention of EVOO in post-infarct patients. Paradoxically after the 6-month intervention, monocytes from dyslipidemic patients showed a significantly decreased secretion of IL-1β under LPS stimulation despite the increase observed at basal state. Conclusion: Our results show that 6-month EVOO intervention did not induce a monocyte phenotypic change or that this intervention significantly modifies cytokine production.