Effect of some white wine phenols in preventing inflammatory cytokine release.

Some well-known antioxidant phenols present in extravirgin olive oil have also been found in white wine. Both tyrosol and caffeic acid are phenols that are present not only in extravirgin olive oil, but also in wine, especially white wine. Their antioxidant properties are well known, but their biological effects have not yet been elucidated. In a previous study we found that these substances were able to inhibit tumor necrosis factor alpha release. The present study was carried out to assess whether these compounds are able to inhibit other inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-6. The results show that low concentrations of these phenols, which can be found in the bloodstream after intake of moderate quantities of white wine, exert significant inhibitory activity on the release of several inflammatory cytokines.