Biological Properties of Hydroxytyrosol and Its Derivatives

Polyphenols are a wide family of compounds found in fruits and vegetables, wine, tea, cocoa, and extra-virgin olive oil, which exhibit strong antioxidant activity by scavenging different families of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). One of the most effective members of the polyphenol family in terms of free radical scavenging is hydroxytyrosol, 2-(3,4dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol (Fernandez-Bolanos et al., 2008), a simple phenol found predominantly in olive tree (Olea europaea).