Dry olive leaf extract supplementation reduces DNA damage in chronic rheumatoid arthritis patients

Abstract

Increased oxidative stress caused by chronic inflammation is one of the underlying mechanisms in etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Reactive oxygen species produced during inflammatory response target cells DNA leading to important alterations. Novel therapeutic approaches in RA tend to combine the use of standard medications such as methotrexate with natural biologicaly active compounds, aimed to achive better antiinflamatory effect and improvement in clinical parameters, at the same time reducing medication-related side effects. Dry olive leaf extract (DOLE) is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making it prospective for supplementation in RA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of DOLE to protect against oxidative DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes of chronic RA patients, by use of the comet assay. ...