Unit:
Department of PharmacyLibrary of the School of Science
Dissertation committee:
Προκόπιος Μαγιάτης - (Επιβλέπων) Αναπληρωτής καθηγητής, Τμήμα
Φαρμακευτικής, ΕΚΠΑ
• Αθανάσιος Γκιμήσης – Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Χημείας, ΕΚΠΑ
• Πολυδεύκης Χατζόπουλος – Καθηγητής, τμήμα Βιοτεχνολογίας, ΓΠΑ
• Ιωάννα Χήνου - Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Φαρμακευτικής, ΕΚΠΑ
• Νεκτάριος Αληγιάννης - Αναπληρωτής καθηγητής, Τμήμα Φαρμακευτικής, ΕΚΠΑ
• Νικόλαος Φωκιαλάκης – Επίκουρος καθηγητής, Τμήμα Φαρμακευτικής, ΕΚΠΑ
• Diomedes Logothetis – Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Northeastern University of Boston, Massachusetts USA
Original Title:
Χημική μελέτη και αξιολόγηση βιοδραστικότητας φυτών της οικογένειας Oleaceae άγριου τύπου και τροποποιημένων με μοριακές βιολογικές προσεγγίσεις.
Translated title:
Chemical study and evaluation of plant bioactivity of family Oleaceae wild type and modified with molecular biological approach.
Summary:
This thesis describes the targeted phytochemical study of the leaves of Olea europaea
and of the leaves from the species Ligustrum, Phillyrea, Syringa, Jasminum, Fraxinus
(Oleaceae). In the first part of this thesis, introductory information is provided about the Olive
Tree, as well as about the other plants regarding their botanical characteristics. The chemical
categories and biological properties of the phenolic components of the studied plants, are
presented. In this chapter of biological properties are contained the results that have been
particularly presented so far and concern the phenolic components of all the above-mentioned
plants of the Oleaceae.
The second part is divided into three experimental sections and concerns the experimental results. The first section consists of three chapters (2-4). Chapter 2 deals with the treatment of plant leaf samples and techniques for isolating their phenolic components on a large
scale. Chapter 3 includes the quantification of phenolic components in the leaves of plants of
Oleaceae family by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, studying at the same time, the
seasonal variation and the changes observed in their quantitative composition during it. Chapter
4 describes the application of the methods developed in the measurement and comparison of
olive leaves in terms of their phenolic content, in which the silencing of beta-glucosidase with
molecular approaches had been performed.
In the second experimental section (chapter 5), the study of the bioactivity of the
secoiridoid phenolic components of the olive at T2R receptors (bitter taste receptors) is
described, while correlating these receptors with various pharmacological actions. In addition,
chapter 5 gives information on the tasting part and presents the results of experiments on the
correlation of specific phenolic components of olive oil with its organoleptic characteristics.
Finally, the third experimental section (Chapter 6) describes the semi-synthesis of
certain metabolites derived from the studied phenolic components and explains in detail the
determination of their structure on the basis of spectroscopic data. More specifically, the
reactions of oleocanthal and oleacein with a series of amino acids and mainly with glycine in
various conditions are described. After a series of two-dimensional NMR experiments, it was
found that the products produced correspond to two original isomeric compounds bearing a
tetrahydropyridine skeleton, for which the names α-and β-oleoglycine, respectively α-and βhydroxy-oleglycine are proposed.
Most of the elaboration of this thesis was carried out with the financial support through
a scholarship from the World Olive Center for Health in collaboration with the Leventis
Foundation.9
Part of the thesis was funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the
Interreg Med ARISTOIL program. ARISTOIL aimed to strengthen the competitiveness of
Mediterranean olive oil by emphasizing on its health-protective properties. For this reason, it
promoted the application of innovative production methods and quality control methods.
ARISTOIL aimed to characterize the phenolic composition of extra virgin olive oil and evaluate
the factors that may affect its content in phenols. This program was based on the European
Regulation 432/2012 on the "Protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress". As a method of
analysis, the NMR technique was used, which provides a rapid analysis and information about
all the olive oil phenols that fall under the above claim with a single measurement. ARISTOIL
was highlighted as the top program in its category in 2019, as well as the top among dozens of
interregional European projects in the Interreg Project Slam competition.
Main subject category:
Science
Other subject categories:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
olive leaves, oleaceae, olive oil, oleoglycine, phenols, secoiridoids, oleacein, oleuropein, oleuropein aglycon
Number of index pages:
17
Number of references:
268
File:
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thesis_aimilia_rigakou.pdf
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File access is restricted until 2026-05-22.
