Protein functional interactions could
explain the biological response
of secoiridoids (SECs), main phenolic compounds in virgin olive oil
(VOO). The aim was to assess protein–protein interactions (PPIs)
of the aorta gap junction alpha-1 (GJA1) and the heart peptidyl-prolyl
cis-trans isomerase (FKBP1A), plus the phosphorylated heart proteome,
to describe new molecular pathways in the cardiovascular system in
rats using nanoliquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.
PPIs modified by SECs and associated with GJA1 in aorta rat tissue
were calpain, TUBA1A, and HSPB1. Those associated with FKBP1A in rat
heart tissue included SUCLG1, HSPE1, and TNNI3. In the heart, SECs
modulated the phosphoproteome through the main canonical pathways
PI3K/mTOR signaling (AKT1S1 and GAB2) and gap junction signaling (GAB2
and GJA1). PPIs associated with GJA1 and with FKBP1A, the phosphorylation
of GAB2, and the dephosphorylation of GJA1 and AKT1S1 in rat tissues
are promising protein targets promoting cardiovascular protection
to explain the health benefits of VOO.