Safety evaluation of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) flower extract: assessment of mutagenicity, and acute and subchronic toxicity in rats

Characterization of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) flower extract and insights into its antifungal susceptibilities of Aspergillus flavus

BACKGROUND

Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) flowers will compete with tea leaves in nutrition and are abandoned as an undesirable by-product. In this study, the biological efficacy of tea flowers was investigated. Further exploration of its antifungal activity was explained.

METHODS

Tea flowers harvested from China were characterized in term of component, antioxidant ability, tyrosinase inhibition, and antifungal ability. Chemical compounds of tea flowers were analyzed by LC-MS. Disinfectant compounds were identified in tea flowers, and 2-ketobutyric acid exhibited antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavusCCTCC AF 2023038. The antifungal mechanism of 2-ketobutyric acid was further investigated by RNA-seq.

RESULTS

Water-soluble tea flower extracts (TFEs) exhibited free radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2, 2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS) as well as a high ferric-reducing ability. However, no inhibition of tyrosinase activity was observed. In the antifungal test, 6.4 mg/mL TFE reached 71.5% antifungal rate and the electrical conductivity of the culture broth increased with increasing concentration of TFE, implying that it damaged the fungal cell membrane by the TFE. Several disinfectants were identified in TFE by LC-MS, and 2-ketobutyric acid was also confirmed to be capable of fungal inhibition. Propidium iodide (PI) staining indicated that 2-ketobutyric acid caused damage to the cell membrane. RNA-seq analysis revealed that 3,808 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found in A. flavus CCTCC AF 2023038 treated by 2-ketobutyric acid, and more than 1,000 DEGs involved in the integral and intrinsic component of membrane were affected. Moreover, 2-ketobutyric acid downregulated aflatoxin biosynthesis genes and decreased the aflatoxin production.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, TFE exhibited excellent antioxidant ability and fungal inhibition against A. flavus CCTCC AF 2023038 due to its abundant disinfectant compounds. As a recognized food additive, 2-ketobutyric acid is safe to use in the food industry and can be utilized as the basis for the research and development of strong fungicides.

Integrating metabolite and transcriptome analysis revealed the different mechanisms of characteristic compound biosynthesis and transcriptional regulation in tea flowers

The flowers of tea plants (Camellia sinensis), as well as tea leaves, contain abundant secondary metabolites and are big potential resources for the extraction of bioactive compounds or preparation of functional foods. However, little is known about the biosynthesis and transcriptional regulation mechanisms of those metabolites in tea flowers, such as terpenoid, flavonol, catechins, caffeine, and theanine. This study finely integrated target and nontarget metabolism analyses to explore the metabolic feature of developing tea flowers. Tea flowers accumulated more abundant terpenoid compounds than young leaves. The transcriptome data of developing flowers and leaves showed that a higher expression level of later genes of terpenoid biosynthesis pathway, such as Terpene synthases gene family, in tea flowers was the candidate reason of the more abundant terpenoid compounds than in tea leaves. Differently, even though flavonol and catechin profiling between tea flowers and leaves was similar, the gene family members of flavonoid biosynthesis were selectively expressed by tea flowers and tea leaves. Transcriptome and phylogenetic analyses indicated that the regulatory mechanism of flavonol biosynthesis was perhaps different between tea flowers and leaves. However, the regulatory mechanism of catechin biosynthesis was perhaps similar between tea flowers and leaves. This study not only provides a global vision of metabolism and transcriptome in tea flowers but also uncovered the different mechanisms of biosynthesis and transcriptional regulation of those important compounds.

Genotoxic Assessment of Nutraceuticals Obtained from Agricultural Biowaste: Where Do We "AMES"?

Several pharmaceutical companies are nowadays considering the use of agri-food waste as alternative raw material for the extraction of bioactive compounds to include in nutraceuticals and food supplements. This recycling activity is encountering the support of authorities, which are alarmed by air, soil and water pollution generated by agricultural waste disposal. Waste reuse has several economic advantages: (i) its low cost; (ii) its abundance; (iii) the high content of bioactive molecule (antioxidants, minerals, fibers, fatty acids); as well as (iv) the financial support received by governments eager to promote eco-compatible and pollution-reducing practices. While nutraceuticals produced from biowaste are becoming popular, products that have been risk-assessed in terms of safety are quite rare. This despite waste biomass, in virtue of its chemical complexity, could, in many cases, mine the overall safety of the final nutraceutical product. In this review, we summarize the scientific results published on genotoxicity risk-assessment of bioactive compounds extracted from agricultural waste. The review depicts a scenario where the risk-assessment of biowaste derived products is still scarcely diffuse, but when available, it confirms the safety of these products, and lets us envisage their future inclusion in the list of botanicals allowed for formulation intended for human consumption.

Comparative Transcriptome and Phytochemical Analysis Provides Insight into Triterpene Saponin Biosynthesis in Seeds and Flowers of the Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis)

Triterpene saponins exhibit various biological and pharmacological activities. However, the knowledge on saponin biosynthesis in tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.) is still limited. In this work, tea flower and seed samples at different developmental stages and leaves were collected and analyzed with UPLC-PDA-MS and RNA sequencing for saponin determination and transcriptome comparison. The saponin content reached around 19% in the freshly mature seeds and 7% in the green flower buds, and decreased with the fruit ripeness and flower blooming. Almost no saponins were detected in leaf samples. PCA and KEGG analysis suggested that the gene expression pattern and secondary metabolism in TF1 and TS2 vs. leaf samples were significantly different. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) uncovered two modules related to saponin content. The mevalonate (MVA) instead of 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phospate (MEP) pathway was responsible for saponin accumulation in tea plants, and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase (HMGS), diphosphomevalonate decarboxylase (MVD) and isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase (IDI) may be the key enzymes involved in saponin biosynthesis in tea seeds and flowers. Moreover, ten transcription factors (TFs) were predicted to regulate saponin biosynthesis in the tea plant. Taken together, our study provides a global insight into the saponin biosynthesis and accumulation in the tea plant.

Natural exosome-like nanovesicles from edible tea flowers suppress metastatic breast cancer via ROS generation and microbiota modulation

Although several artificial nanotherapeutics have been approved for practical treatment of metastatic breast cancer, their inefficient therapeutic outcomes, serious adverse effects, and high cost of mass production remain crucial challenges. Herein, we developed an alternative strategy to specifically trigger apoptosis of breast tumors and inhibit their lung metastasis by using natural nanovehicles from tea flowers (TFENs). These nanovehicles had desirable particle sizes (131 nm), exosome-like morphology, and negative zeta potentials. Furthermore, TFENs were found to contain large amounts of polyphenols, flavonoids, functional proteins, and lipids. Cell experiments revealed that TFENs showed strong cytotoxicities against cancer cells due to the stimulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) amplification. The increased intracellular ROS amounts could not only trigger mitochondrial damage, but also arrest cell cycle, resulting in the in vitro anti-proliferation, anti-migration, and anti-invasion activities against breast cancer cells. Further mice investigations demonstrated that TFENs after intravenous (i.v.) injection or oral administration could accumulate in breast tumors and lung metastatic sites, inhibit the growth and metastasis of breast cancer, and modulate gut microbiota. This study brings new insights to the green production of natural exosome-like nanoplatform for the inhibition of breast cancer and its lung metastasis via i.v. and oral routes.

Synergistic protective effect of Camellia sinensis leaf buds and Camellia sinensis flowers against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats and characterization of its bioactive compounds

An effective antitumor drug like cisplatin has toxic effects leading to kidney injury. The authors investigated the nephroprotective action of C. sinensis leaf buds (CSB) and its flowers (CSF), both individually and in combined therapy against cisplatin-induced renal injury. Renal functional tests, oxidant, anti-oxidant and histopathology of kidney tissues are assessed. The major findings of the experiment is that the CSB and/or CSF ameliorate the successive conditions of (1) Renal dysfunction (Serum creatinine, urea, uric acid and glucose, protein level present in the urine) (2) The degree of lipid peroxidation (3) Antioxidant enzyme suppression and (4) The destructive renal architecture associated with drug-induced renal toxicity. Result suggests that the combined therapy of CSB and CSF was highly effective when compared to monotherapy in the complete regeneration of destructive cells by drug effect and could be an addition of a new source to the pharmaceutical industry as antioxidant nutrition supplement.

Mutagenic potential of medicinal plants evaluated by the Ames Salmonella/microsome assay: A systematic review

The Ames test has become one of the most commonly used tests to assess the mutagenic potential of medicinal plants since they have several biological activities and thus have been used in traditional medicine and in the pharmaceutical industry as a source of raw materials. Accordingly, this review aims to report previous use of the Ames test to evaluate the mutagenic potential of medicinal plants. A database was constructed by curating literature identified by a search on the electronic databases Medline (via Pubmed), Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science from 1975 to April 2020, using the following terms: "genotoxicity tests" OR "mutagenicity tests" OR "Ames test" AND "medicinal plants." From the research, 239 articles were selected, including studies of 478 species distributed across 111 botanical families, with Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Lamiaceae being the most frequent. It was identified that 388 species were non-mutagenic. Of these, 21% (83/388) showed antimutagenic potential, most notable in the Lamiaceae family. The results also indicate that 18% (90/478) of the species were mutagenic, of which 54% were mutagenic in the presence and absence of S9. Strains TA98 and TA100 showed a sensitivity of 93% in detecting plant extracts with mutagenic potential. However, the reliability of many reviewed studies regarding the botanical extracts may be questioned due to technical issues, such as testing being performed only in the presence or absence of S9, use of maximum doses below 5 mg/plate and lack of information on the cytotoxicity of tested doses. These methodological aspects additionally demonstrated that a discussion about the doses used in research on mixtures, such as the ones assessed with botanical extracts and the most sensitive strains employed to detect the mutagenic potential, should be included in a possible update of the guidelines designed by the regulatory agencies.

Physiological genetics, chemical composition, health benefits and toxicology of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) flower: A review

The flower of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) plant has been paid an increasing attention in the last twenty years, since it was found that tea flowers contained representative constituents similar to those of tea leaves, such as catechins, caffeine and amino acids. Tea flower is theoretically valuable although it has been considered as an industrial waste over a long period of time. This review summarizes the research findings conducted until now on physiological genetics, chemical composition, health benefits and toxicology of tea flowers, aiming to foresee their future applications. A lot of genes are involved in flower development and the synthesis and transmission of various chemicals in tea flowers. The chemical composition of tea flower consists mainly of catechins, polysaccharides, proteins, amino acids and saponins and thus tea flower possesses various health benefits such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating, antitumor, hypoglycemic, anti-obesity and anti-allergic activities. Moreover, tea flower contains a protease that can elevate the free amino acids content in the tea infusion by almost two folds. More importantly, the enzymatic activity of the protease is much higher than that of the commercially available proteases. Additionally, aqueous extracts of tea flower are demonstrated to safe to animals. Thus, the potential uses of tea flowers in food and medical fields are warranted.

Purified Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) Flower Saponins Induce the p53-Dependent Intrinsic Apoptosis of Cisplatin-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Cells

Ovarian cancer is currently ranked at fifth in cancer deaths among women. Patients who have undergone cisplatin-based chemotherapy can experience adverse effects or become resistant to treatment, which is a major impediment for ovarian cancer treatment. Natural products from plants have drawn great attention in the fight against cancer recently. In this trial, purified tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) flower saponins (PTFSs), whose main components are Chakasaponin I and Chakasaponin IV, inhibited the growth and proliferation of ovarian cancer cell lines A2780/CP70 and OVCAR-3. Flow cytometry, caspase activity and Western blotting analysis suggested that such inhibitory effects of PTFSs on ovarian cancer cells were attributed to the induction of cell apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway rather than extrinsic pathway. The p53 protein was then confirmed to play an important role in PTFS-induced intrinsic apoptosis, and the levels of its downstream proteins such as caspase families, Bcl-2 families, Apaf-1 and PARP were regulated by PTFS treatment. In addition, the upregulation of p53 expression by PTFSs were at least partly induced by DNA damage through the ATM/Chk2 pathway. The results help us to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of PTFSs on preventing and treating platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Apoptosis Exerts a Vital Role in the Treatment of Colitis-Associated Cancer by Herbal Medicine

Colitis-associated cancer (CAC) is known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-developed colorectal cancer, the pathogenesis of which involves the occurrence of apoptosis. Western drugs clinically applied to CAC are often single-targeted and exert many adverse reactions after long-term administration, so it is urgent to develop new drugs for the treatment of CAC. Herbal medicines commonly have multiple components with multiple targets, and most of them are low-toxicity. Some herbal medicines have been reported to ameliorate CAC through inducing apoptosis, but there is still a lack of systematic review. In this work, we reviewed articles published in Sci Finder, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, CNKI, and other databases in recent years by setting the keywords as apoptosis in combination with colitis-associated cancer. We summarized the herbal medicine extracts or their compounds that can prevent CAC by modulating apoptosis and analyzed the mechanism of action. The results show the following. (1) Herbal medicines regulate both the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and death receptor apoptosis pathway. (2) Herbal medicines modulate the above two apoptotic pathways by affecting signal transductions of IL-6/STAT3, MAPK/NF-κ B, Oxidative stress, Non-canonical TGF-β1, WNT/β-catenin, and Cell cycle, thereby ameliorating CAC. We conclude that following. (1) Studies on the role of herbal medicine in regulating apoptosis through the Ras/Raf/ERK, WNT/β-catenin, and Cell cycle pathways have not yet been carried out in sufficient depth. (2) The active constituents of reported anti-CAC herbal medicine mainly include polyphenols, terpenoids, and saccharide. Also, we identified other herbal medicines with the constituents mentioned above as their main components, aiming to provide a reference for the clinical use of herbal medicine in the treatment of CAC. (3) New dosage forms can be utilized to elevate the targeting and reduce the toxicity of herbal medicine.

Components identification and nutritional value exploration of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) flower extract: Evidence for functional food

Camellia sinensis L., its fresh leaves and buds are used to make tea, is an important industrial crop with a long history. However, less attention has been paid to tea flowers. Indeed, tea flower extract (TFE) is a rich source of functional molecules, but its nutritional value remains unclear. This study, from the perspective of "whole food", aimed to investigate the composition of TFE and further explore its possible health-promoting effects on cyclophosphamide-induced mice. It was found that TFE was mainly composed of carbohydrates (34.02 ± 1.42%), phenolic compounds (11.57 ± 0.14%), crude proteins (27.72 ± 3.07%) and saponins (2.81 ± 0.00%). Supplementation of TFE at 200 mg/kg·BW/d regulated intestinal homeostasis by improving the intestinal barrier, alleviating dysbacteriosis (reverse 44 of 68 disordered genera), stimulated immunoreactions with significant enhancement of serum TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2 and IL-6. Furthermore, TFE could improve the liver function through decreasing the hepatic malondialdehyde and aminotransferase levels and increasing the levels of catalase, myeloperoxidase, superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione. Notably, the ameliorating effects of TFE on cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression and the hepatic injury were associated with its modulation of gut microbiota. The results provide the evidence for the application of tea flower as potential functional food.

Safety Assessment of Camellia sinensis-Derived Ingredients As Used in Cosmetics

Cosmetic ingredients derived from Camellia sinensis (tea) plant parts function as antioxidants and skin conditioning agents-humectant and miscellaneous. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel (Panel) reviewed relevant animal and human data related to these ingredients. The use of the leaf ingredients in beverages results in much larger systemic exposures than those possible from cosmetic use. Accordingly, concern over the systemic toxicity potential of leaf-derived ingredients is mitigated. Because product formulations may contain multiple botanical ingredients, each containing the same constituents of concern, formulators are advised to be aware of these constituents and to avoid reaching levels that may lead to sensitization or other toxic effects. The Panel concluded that the C sinensis leaf-derived ingredients are safe in the present practices of use and concentration described in this safety assessment when formulated to be nonsensitizing. However, the available data are insufficient to determine whether the non-leaf-derived ingredients are safe for use in cosmetics.

Occurrence of Functional Molecules in the Flowers of Tea (Camellia sinensis) Plants: Evidence for a Second Resource

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is an important crop, and its leaves are used to make the most widely consumed beverage, aside from water. People have been using leaves from tea plants to make teas for a long time. However, less attention has been paid to the flowers of tea plants, which is a waste of an abundant resource. In the past 15 years, researchers have attempted to discover, identify, and evaluate functional molecules from tea flowers, and have made insightful and useful discoveries. Here, we summarize the recent investigations into these functional molecules in tea flowers, including functional molecules similar to those in tea leaves, as well as the preponderant functional molecules in tea flowers. Tea flowers contain representative metabolites similar to those of tea leaves, such as catechins, flavonols, caffeine, and amino acids. The preponderant functional molecules in tea flowers include saponins, polysaccharides, aromatic compounds, spermidine derivatives, and functional proteins. We also review the safety and biological functions of tea flowers. Tea flower extracts are proposed to be of no toxicological concern based on evidence from the evaluation of mutagenicity, and acute and subchronic toxicity in rats. The presence of many functional metabolites in tea flowers indicates that tea flowers possess diverse biological functions, which are mostly related to catechins, polysaccharides, and saponins. Finally, we discuss the potential for, and challenges facing, future applications of tea flowers as a second resource from tea plants.

Toxicological effects of Camellia sinensis (green tea): A review

Many scientific articles proved that green tea (GT), Camellia sinensis, has a great potential to manage central nervous system, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases and treat cancer and inflammatory disorders. However, it is important to consider that "natural" is not always "safe." Some relevant articles reported side effects of GT, detrimental effects on health. The aim of this study is to provide a classified report about the toxicity of GT and its main constituents in acute, subacute, subchronic, and chronic states. Furthermore, it discusses on the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and developmental toxicity of GT and its main constituents. The most important side effects have been reported hepatotoxicity and gastrointestinal disorders specially while consumed on an empty stomach. GT and its main components are not major teratogen, mutagen, or carcinogen substances. However, there is limited data in using them during pregnancy, and they should be used with caution in pregnancy, breast-feeding, and susceptible people. Because GT and its main components have a wide variety of drug interactions, consideration should be taken in coadministration of them with narrow therapeutic indexed drugs. Furthermore, they evoke selective cytotoxicity on cancerous cells that could engage them as an adjuvant substance in cancer therapy.

Anti-proliferative effect and cell cycle arrest induced by saponins extracted from tea (Camellia sinensis) flower in human ovarian cancer cells

Tea (Camellia sinensis) flower saponins (TFS) have various biological properties. However, the anti-cancer effects of TFS have not been investigated in any detail. Here, we evaluated the anti-cancer effects of TFS using human ovarian cancer cell lines. TFS (1.5 μg/ml) produced significant antiproliferative effects against A2780/CP70 and OVCAR-3 cells by inducing p53-dependent apoptosis and S phase arrest. Further study showed that TFS decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, activated Caspase-3/7, Caspase-8 and Caspase-9 activities, and that the p53 inhibitor PFT-α reversed the TFS-induced cell growth inhibition and apoptosis. In addition, TFS inhibited the expression of Cdc25A, Cdk2, and CyclinD1 and upregulated Cyclin E and Cyclin A, suggesting that the Cdc25A-Cdk2-Cyclin E/A pathway was involved in TFS-induced S phase arrest. Furthermore, the S phase arrest was associated with a Chk2-Cdc25A DNA damage response. These results demonstrated that TFS has promising potential serving as functional food components for prevention of ovarian cancer.

The Effect of Black Tea (Camellia sinensis (L) Kuntze) on Pediatrics With Acute Nonbacterial Diarrhea: A Randomized Controlled Trial

We aimed to evaluate the antidiarrheal effect of black tea in pediatric patients with acute nonbacterial diarrhea. This single-blind randomized clinical trial study was performed on 2 to 12-year-old patients, with acceptable criteria for acute nonbacterial diarrhea in Shiraz, Iran. In total, 120 patients took part in this study. Blocked randomization method was used to allocate them into 2 groups of intervention (black tea tablet + standard treatment) and control group (standard treatment; 60 patients in each). Frequency of defecation, volume, and consistency of stool were registered on arrival and 24 hours later. We used χ² test, t test, and Mann-Whitney U test. After a 24-hour follow-up, the proportion of patients with formed stool was higher in the intervention group when compared with the control group (P < .001). There was a significant difference between the mean number of defecations per 24 hours in both groups, after treatment (P < .001). We found a possible antidiarrheal effect of black tea.

Acute and sub-chronic oral toxicity study of black tea in rodents

Objectives:

Systematic oral toxicity study for black tea (Camellia sinensis), the most commonly consumed variety of tea, is lacking. The present study was undertaken to assess the iron load on black tea (Camellia sinensis) and its safety aspects in animals.

Materials and Methods:

The analysis of iron was done in six tea samples as per American Public Health Association method using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Maximum physical iron-loaded tea sample was identified on black tea sample 2 (BTS-2), and this was further studied for acute and 90-day sub-chronic toxicity following Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines.

Results:

Black tea sample 2 did not show any signs of toxicity or mortality at up to 2 g/kg per oral dose in Swiss albino mice. 90-day toxicity studies in Wistar rats did not reveal any evidence of toxicity at up to 250 mg/kg/day (2.5% infusion of BTS-2) oral dose as exhibited by regular observations, body weight, food consumption, hematology, serum chemistry, organ weights, and histopathology. Further, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, unsaturated iron binding capacity, and ferritin were not altered after 90 days of treatment. Masson trichrome staining and Perls’ staining did not reveal any abnormalities in hepatic tissue following 90-day treatment of high iron-loaded BTS-2.

Conclusions:

This safety study provides evidence that BTSs, in spite of relatively high iron content, show no significant iron-related toxicity on acute or sub-chronic oral administration in animals.

Mutagenicity Assessment of Drinking Water in Combination with Flavored Black Tea Bags: a Cross Sectional Study in Tehran

Diseases related to water impurities may present as major public health burdens. The present study aimed to assess the mutagenicity of drinking water from different zones of Tehran, and evaluate possible health risks through making tea with tea bags, by Ames mutagenicity test using TA 100, TA 98 and YG1029 strains. For this purpose, 450 water samples were collected over the period of July to December 2014 from 5 different zones of Tehran. Except for one sample, no mutagenic potential was detected during these two seasons and the MI scores were almost normal (≤ 1-1.6) in TA 100, TA 98 and YG1029 strains. Although no mutagenic effects were considered in TA 98 and TA 100 in the test samples of our three evaluated tea bag brands, one sample from a local company showed mutagenic effects in the YG1029 strain (MI=1.7-1.9 and 2) after prolonged (10-15 min.) steeping. Despite the mild mutagenic effect discovered for one of the brand, this cross sectional study showed relative safety of water samples and black tea bags in Tehran. According to the sensitivity of YG1029 to the mutagenic potential of water and black tea, even without metabolic activation by s9 fraction, this metabolizer strain could be considered as sensitive and applicable to food samples for quantitative analysis of mutagens.

Preparation, preliminary characterization, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and antitumor activities of polysaccharides from the flower of tea plant (Camellia sinensis)

In the present study, the crude polysaccharides from the flowers of tea plant (Camellia sinensis) (TFPS) were prepared with hot water and further fractionated on a DEAE-52 cellulose chromatography to afford three purified fractions of TFPS-1, TFPS-2 and TFPS-3. Then, their preliminary structures, antioxidant and antitumor activities in vitro and hepatoprotective activity in vivo were investigated. Compared with TFPS-2 and TFPS-3, TFPS-1 had relative higher content of sulfate and relative complicated monosaccharide composition. In addition, TFPS-1 and TFPS-3 showed relative stronger antioxidant activity and inhibitory activity on the growth of human gastric cancer BGC-823 cells. For hepatoprotective activity in vivo, we demonstrated that crude TFPS significantly prevented the increase of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels, reduced the formation of malondialdehyde and enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury mice. The results suggested that TFPS should be a potent natural polymer with antioxidant, hepatoprotective and antitumor activities.