TOBC Boosts Healing by Tuning Inflammation

Tomato and Olive Bioactive Compounds (TOBC) are a patented food supplement composed of tomato and olive mill wastewater extracts; in this work we demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro models a significant potential of TOBC in promoting tissue regeneration by modulating the inflammatory response. For the in vitro model, zebrafish caudal fin amputation was performed at 72 hpf, and larvae were treated with TOBC at 1 mg/L. Using transgenic zebrafish Tg(mpx:GFP), we evaluated the impact of TOBC on neutrophil dynamics post-amputation. Quantitative fluorescence imaging, gene expression analysis (RT-PCR), and neutrophil counts revealed that TOBC enhanced neutrophil recruitment and upregulated il-1β and irf8 genes at 6 hours post amputation (hpa), suggesting an early inflammatory response. Subsequently, we investigated the effects of TOBC during the late phase of epimorphic regeneration (24 and 48 hpa). TOBC was effective to promote a regeneration-permissive environment by modulating the recruitment of macrophages on the site of lesion and by increasing the expression of TNF-α at 24hpa. Finally, at 48 hpa TOBC enhanced cellular proliferation and fin regeneration. The data obtained in zebrafish were also supported by in vitro results. Particularly human BEAS-2B cell line were used to confirm the effects of TOBC on inflammation, proliferation and remodeling. In the BEAS-2B cell model, TOBC at 1 mg/mL increased cell viability and proliferation, as demonstrated by cell cycle analysis showing accelerated progression through the S and G2/M phases. Scratch assays showed faster wound closure in TOBC-treated cells. Notably, TOBC increasing IL-1β and EGF levels, supporting a regenerative environment. These results make TOBC a promising candidate for therapeutic applications in wound healing and inflammatory regulation. These findings highlight TOBC’s dual action: regulating TNF-α-mediated inflammation and directly enhancing cellular proliferation and repair. This dual effect makes TOBC a promising candidate for therapeutic applications in wound healing and inflammatory regulation.