Azeite de oliva para o tratamento das doenças inflamatórias intestinais em modelos animais: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

Olive oil (Olea europaea), commonly used in the Mediterranean diet, has properties attributed to its phytochemicals such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities. Due to these characteristics, olive oil can be an alternative for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), comprising mainly Crohn's Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), which are characterized by an inflammatory condition chronic, multifactorial and with negative impacts on the individual's quality of life. The current drug treatment is made with aminosalicylates and corticosteroids, these have many side effects which drives the search for other therapies. Chronic inflammation of the intestinal mucosa provides extensive recruitment of phagocytic leukocytes, favoring the activation of the NADPH oxidase system and excessive production of reactive oxygen species, resulting in oxidative stress, which perpetuates the inflammatory response. Therefore, the aim of this study was to carry out a systematic review of the potential of olive oil for the treatment of IBD in experimental colitis models in animals, using the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases, limited to clinical trials with animals. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias Analysis Tool for Experimental Animal Studies. In this review, 16 papers were selected and it was found that olive oil improves clinical parameters, histological damage, increases the antioxidant defense system and modulates the expression of inflammatory mediators. However, more pre-clinical and clinical studies must be carried out in order to better understand the mechanisms of action and determine the adequate amount of oil that presents satisfactory effects.