SCOTTSDALE — Health care researchers are viewing olives as more than just a salad ingredient.

The produce could be key in developing a nontoxic drug that helps treat cancer and other diseases.

The HonorHealth Research Institute in Scottsdale is in the early stages of experimenting with a range of produce to use their natural properties for medical treatment.

But why olives? Grapes and kiwis were also considered, but olives were a more promising candidate because of their abundance and adaptability to various environmental conditions.

According to a study involving HonorHealth researchers, olives’ nanovesicles are highly resistant to stress and have enhanced anticancer drug efficacy. When comparing the olive-derived nanovesicles (ODNV) soaked with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin (dox), the ODNVs with dox removed 90% of the cancerous cells, compared with 70% when the drug was used alone. Using plant cells instead of human cells was another plus as it’s cheaper and allows researchers to have more control over the process.

Researchers used olives from indoor vertical farms that were frozen with liquid nitrogen and ground into a powder before the cells were extracted.

Manipulating the plant cells is easier than manipulating human cells, said Frederic Zenhausern, senior scientist at HonorHealth Research Institute and co-author of the study. Zenhausern is also director of the Center for Applied NanoBioscience and Medicine at the University of Arizona School of Medicine-Phoenix.

“We can also now play with some of the nutrients," he said.

The study began by examining plants with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant molecules to see their potential effect.

“We believe that if you can encapsulate a drug in plant microvesicles and potentially inject it directly into the joint, it could be delivered to the targeted problem,” which is said to reduce side effects, according to Dr. Michael Gordon, chief medical officer of HonorHealth Research Institute.

Advantages of olive drug development

The study showed olive-derived treatments standing out from other cancer treatments. Researchers said they have:

• Fewer side effects: The drug is expected to have fewer side effects than standard treatments since it targets specific cancerous cells while limiting harm to healthy tissue. Standard anticancer treatments usually cause hair loss, fatigue, and vomiting.

• Longer shelf life: Olives are able to adjust to different temperatures, which makes the drug more stable for storage.

• Cost effectiveness: Olives have a lower production cost compared to other pharmaceutical treatments.

Mark Slater, CEO of HonorHealth Research Institute, said he hopes innovations like this will bring more jobs and new companies to Arizona.

The next steps include clinical trials to assess the effectiveness and safety of plant vesicles being used for human treatment. Doctors and researchers will test the possible side effects that may come with the olive-derived drug and the best production methods.

Though in the early stages, Gordon and Zenhausern are hoping to use the drug to combat diseases outside of cancer, such as sickle cell disease.

“Our strategy for developing plant microvesicles is similar to how a train carries different products from one production facility to a station – to effectively target different illnesses,” Gordon said.