Beauchamp GK et al. (2005) Phytochemistry: ibuprofen-like activity in extra-virgin olive oil. Nature 437: 45–46

A recent study has shown that oleocanthal, a component of extra-virgin olive oil, has an anti-inflammatory profile and potency 'strikingly' similar to the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen. Although the two molecules are structurally dissimilar, they both produce a strong stinging sensation in the throat, and inhibit the same cyclo-oxygenase (COX) enzymes in the prostaglandin biosynthesis pathway.

The investigators first demonstrated that the component in extra-virgin olive oil responsible for the stinging sensation is oleocanthal by testing the throat-irritant activity of isolated oleocanthal from premium olive oils, and also of synthetic oleocanthal dissolved in nonirritating corn oil. Both tests showed that oleocanthal concentration was positively correlated with irritation intensity. Previously, this pharyngeal sting had only been associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and related compounds.

The shared irritant properties of oleocanthal and ibuprofen then led the researchers to test whether oleocanthal shares the same pharmacologic activity of ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is a nonselective inhibitor of COX1 and COX2, but it does not inhibit lipoxygenase. The in vitro tests showed that, like ibuprofen, oleocanthal dose-dependently inhibits COX1 and COX2, but has no effect on lipoxygenase. How the structures of these two compounds underpin their similar properties is as yet unclear.

The authors conclude that the findings of this study raise the possibility that long-term consumption of extra-virgin olive oil might help protect against several diseases, because of oleocanthal's ibuprofen-like COX-inhibiting activity.