Although olives were used for medical purposes as early as more than 150 years ago, modern studies have constantly revealed the new properties of its extracted substances as a powerful antioxidant to treat an arrange of health problems.

Now a recent study by CAS researchers demonstrates a novel benefit of an olive ingredient -- hydroxytyrosol (HTS) -- to treat smoking-induced or age-related retinal pigment epithelial degeneration, such as age-associated macular degeneration (AMD).

A degenerative retinal disorder, AMD constitutes a major cause of blindness for the aged. Currently about 30 million people worldwide suffer from the disease. Epidemiological investigations find that smoking might be a major contributive factor to the crippling illness.

As reported by a recent issue of Journal of Neurochemistry, a research team led by Prof. LIU Jiankang from the CAS Institute of Nutritional Science (INS) and their colleagues from DSM Nutritional Products in Switzerland discovered in an in vitro lab study using cells from the human retina that HTS, a natural polyphenol abundant in olive oil, is a mitochondria-targeting antioxidant nutrient. Its dietary administration may be an effective measure in reducing and or preventing AMD.

Our work demonstrated that HTS could significantly protect acrolein-induced cellular toxicity in ARPE-19 cells, a cellular model for smoking- and age-related macular degeneration, notes LIU Zhongbo, lead author of the article and a PhD candidate at INS.

The feat is only a stage result of a cooperative project between INS and DSM on natural nutrients and aging and diseases. "We will try to go further with in vivo animal models and also possible for clinical trial in the future," Prof. LIU Jiankan was quoted as saying.