Thermal effects on the stability and antioxidant activity of an acid polysaccharide conjugate derived from green tea

Antidiabetic Potential of Tea and Its Active Compounds: From Molecular Mechanism to Clinical Evidence

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic endocrine disorder that poses a long-term risk to human health accompanied by serious complications. Common antidiabetic drugs are usually accompanied by side effects such as hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. There is an urgent need for natural dietary alternatives for diabetic treatment. Tea (Camellia sinensis) consumption has been widely investigated to lower the risk of diabetes and its complications through restoring glucose metabolism homeostasis, safeguarding pancreatic β-cells, ameliorating insulin resistance, ameliorating oxidative stresses, inhibiting inflammatory response, and regulating intestinal microbiota. It is indispensable to develop effective strategies to improve the absorption of tea active compounds and exert combinational effects with other natural compounds to broaden its hypoglycemic potential. The advances in clinical trials and population-based investigations are also discussed. This review primarily delves into the antidiabetic potential and underlying mechanisms of tea active compounds, providing a theoretical basis for the practical application of tea and its active compounds against diabetes.

Effect of hydrophobic property on antibacterial activities of green tea polysaccharide conjugates against Escherichia coli

We previously found that green tea polysaccharide conjugates (gTPCs) have antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli. In this study, the effect of hydrophobic property on the antibacterial activities of gTPCs was evaluated to elucidate their property-activity relationship. Three gTPCs (gTPCs-5 h, gTPCs-12 h and gTPCs-24 h) were extracted from green tea with the ethanol precipitation time of 5 h, 12 h and 24 h, respectively. These three gTPCs did not differ significantly in terms of molecular weight distribution, amino acids composition and zeta potentials. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results revealed that gTPCs-5 h and gTPCs-12 h processed more hydrogen bonds than gTPCs-24 h. The surface hydrophobicity and contact angle of gTPCs-5 h were larger than that of gTPCs-12 h and gTPCs-24 h. The antibacterial activity of gTPCs against E. coli decreased in the order of gTPCs-5 h > gTPCs-12 h > gTPCs-24 h. There wasn't significant difference among the zeta potentials of E. coli treated by gTPCs-5 h, gTPCs-12 h and gTPCs-24 h, but the bacterial contact angles of E. coli treated by gTPCs-5 h were higher compared with those of the other two gTPCs. Furthermore, gTPCs-5 h exhibited higher activity to decrease bacterial membrane proteins, and increase bacterial membrane permeability than the other two gTPCs. In conclusion, gTPCs with higher hydrophobicity property exhibited stronger antibacterial activity against E. coli.

Compositions and Antioxidant Activity of Tea Polysaccharides Extracted from Different Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) Varieties

Tea polysaccharide (TPS) is a bioactive compound extracted from tea. It has raised great interest among researchers due to its bioactivity. However, few studies focused on the diversity of TPS in its compositions and antioxidant activity. This study collected 140 different tea varieties from four tea germplasm gardens in China, and their TPSs in tea shoots were extracted. The extraction efficiency, composition contents, including neutral sugar, uronic acid, protein, and tea polyphenols, and the scavenging abilities of hydroxyl radical (·OH) and superoxide radical (O2-·) of 140 TPSs were determined and analyzed. The results showed significant differences in the compositions and antioxidant activities of TPS extracted from different tea varieties. By applying hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), we selected nine tea varieties with high TPS extraction efficiency and 26 kinds of TPS with high antioxidant capacity.

Research on Processing-Induced Chemical Variations in Polygonatum Cyrtonema Rhizome by Integrating Metabolomics and Glycomics

Polygonatum cyrtonema rhizome (PCR), the dried sweet rhizome of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua, is commonly used as a tonic remedy and a functional food in Asia, Europe, and North America. Multiple components, including secondary metabolites, monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides, collectively contribute to the therapeutic effects of PCR. Processing time exerts a significant influence on the quality of PCR, but the various processing stages have not been comprehensively chemically profiled. It is urgent to study processing-induced chemical variations in PCR to control the processing degree. In this study, multiple chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques were used in combination with multivariate statistical analysis to perform qualitative and quantitative research on secondary metabolites and carbohydrates in PCR during processing. The results demonstrated that PCR processing can be divided into three stages, namely the raw stage (0 h), the middle stage (1–6 h), and the late stage (8–18 h). Twenty differential compounds were screened from secondary metabolites and oligosaccharides to distinguish PCR in different processing stages. Furthermore, the chemical variations of Polygonatum cyrtonema polysaccharides (PCP) also entered a new stage after processing for 6 h. Multiple chemical mechanisms, including hydrolysis, oxidative decomposition, dehydration, Maillard reaction, and polymerization were involved in the processing. This work provides a scientific basis to reveal the relationship between processing stage and chemical variations.

A Review on the Extraction, Bioactivity, and Application of Tea Polysaccharides

Tea is a non-alcoholic drink containing various active ingredients, including tea polysaccharides (TPSs). TPSs have various biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, and anti-cancer activities. However, TPSs have a complex composition, which significantly limits the extraction and isolation methods, thus limiting their application. This paper provides insight into the composition, methodological techniques for isolation and extraction of the components, biological activities, and functions of TPSs, as well as their application prospects.

Tea (Camellia sinensis): A Review of Nutritional Composition, Potential Applications, and Omics Research

Tea (Camelliasinensis) is the world’s most widely consumed non-alcoholic beverage with essential economic and health benefits since it is an excellent source of polyphenols, catechins, amino acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamins, and polysaccharides. The aim of this review is to summarize the main secondary metabolites in tea plants, and the content and distribution of these compounds in six different types of tea and different organs of tea plant were further investigated. The application of these secondary metabolites on food processing, cosmetics industry, and pharmaceutical industry was reviewed in this study. With the rapid advancements in biotechnology and sequencing technology, omics analyses, including genome, transcriptome, and metabolome, were widely used to detect the main secondary metabolites and their molecular regulatory mechanisms in tea plants. Numerous functional genes and regulatory factors have been discovered, studied, and applied to improve tea plants. Research advances, including secondary metabolites, applications, omics research, and functional gene mining, are comprehensively reviewed here. Further exploration and application trends are briefly described. This review provides a reference for basic and applied research on tea plants.

Liubao brick tea activates the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway to lower blood glucose, metabolic disorders and insulin resistance via altering the intestinal flora

Diabetes and its related metabolic disorders are worldwide public health issues. Many studies have shown that changes in the structure and composition of the intestinal flora are closely related to the host's physiological and pathological processes. In this study, we aim to explore the effect of Liubao tea (LBT) extract on hyperglycemic mice with metabolic disorders and intestinal flora dysbiosis and to further study its regulatory effect on insulin resistance and its potential regulatory mechanism. Our results show that LBT had a good hypoglycemic effect and could significantly alleviate the metabolic disorder evoked by hyperglycemia. The gut microbial sequencing showed that LBT treatment increased the diversity of intestinal flora, increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria, and reduced the abundance of harmful or conditional pathogenic bacteria, as well as significantly altered 39 of the top 50 OTUs with abundance. Besides, LBT could activate the PI3K-Akt-PPARs-GLUT2 cascade signaling pathway to improve metabolic disorders, thereby alleviating insulin resistance. These results suggest that LBT has excellent potential to become a natural functional food for the prevention of hyperglycemia and insulin resistance.

Immunostimulatory Activity of Black Rice Bran in Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppressed Rats

Black rice bran extract (BRBE), containing various biologically active compounds, such as anthocyanin, has antioxidant activity and numerous pharmacological effects. Here, we aimed to confirm the immunostimulatory effects of BRBE in cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced immunosuppressed cells. Our results confirmed that BRBE exerted an immunostimulatory effect. In vitro, BRBE treatment enhanced cell proliferation, activity of natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and production of CP-repressed cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, and IL-12, and immunoglobulins G and A in isolated splenocytes. Additionally, in vivo, BRBE treatment increased the number of immune cells, such as white blood cells, lymphocyte counts, mid-range absolute counts, and neutrophils in CP-induced immunosuppressed rats. Furthermore, BRBE increased the serum levels of abovementioned inflammatory cytokines and immunoglobulins in CP-induced immunosuppressed rats. In addition, BRBE protected against CP-mediated spleen and thymic tissue damage. Our findings suggest that BRBE could be potentially used as a component of functional food for immunity enhancement.

Effect of purity of tea polysaccharides on its antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities

The effects of purity of tea polysaccharides (TPS) on its five antioxidant activities and hypoglycemic activities in vitro were studied. The results showed that the higher the purity of TPS, the lower the antioxidant capacity. The purity of FTPSI is the highest (sugar content 80.72%), but its antioxidant activities were lower than those of Fujian tea polysaccharides (FTPS) and FTPSII. The antioxidant activity of tea polysaccharide is related to its protein and polyphenol content (Pearson r > .90). The protective effect of Zhejiang tea polysaccharides and FTPS on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was better than that of its purified fractions. The inhibition rates of FTPSII (5 and 2 mg/ml) on α-glucosidase (32.76%) and α-amylase (-11.93%) were higher than those of FTPS and FTPSII. Purification does not change the basic structure of TPS. This study has certain reference value for the study of the antioxidant activities of TPS. Meanwhile, TPS can be used as a potential resource with hypoglycemic function. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: A large number of studies have shown that TPS have antioxidant activity. However, several studies considered that the antioxidant activity of TPS mainly comes from the residues of tea polyphenols. Therefore, the in vitro and cell antioxidant activities of TPS were studied in this paper. We believe that both glycoprotein and tea polyphenol are antioxidants of tea, and tea polysaccharide perform preferable effect on hypoglycemic. HUVEC cell model and four in vitro antioxidant test methods were used to study the antioxidant activities of TPS, and two enzyme inhibition activities were used to study the hypoglycemic effect of TPS, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the study of biological activity of TPS.

Emulsifying Properties of Polysaccharide Conjugates Prepared from Chin-Brick Tea

Chin-brick tea polysaccharide conjugates (TPC-C) were prepared to study their emulsion capabilities. Interfacial tension and the effects of some factors, such as storage time, metal ion concentrations (Na⁺, Ca²⁺), pH (2.0-8.0), and heat treatment (70-100 °C) on the emulsions stabilized by TPC-C were studied. The interfacial tension of TPC-C (10.88 mN/m) was lower than that of gum arabic (15.18 mN/m) at a concentration of 0.08%. As the TPC-C concentration increased from 0.1 to 3.0 wt %, the mean particle diameter (MPD) (d₃₂) of emulsions stabilized by TPC-C decreased from 1.88 to 0.16 μm. Furthermore, at a concentration of 0.5 wt % or higher, the MPD (d₃₂) of emulsions stabilized by TPC-C at 25 and 60 °C for 10 days was between 0.20 and 0.50 μm. In the tested pH conditions from 2.0 to 8.0, the MPD (d₃₂) of emulsions stabilized by 2.0 wt % TPC-C was less than 0.20 μm. At Na⁺ concentration conditions between 0.10 and 0.50 mol/L, the MPD (d₃₂) of emulsions was between 0.19 and 0.20 μm, and the zeta potential values varied from -34.10 to -32.60 mV. However, with an increasing Ca²⁺ concentration from 0.01 to 0.05 mol/L, the MPD (d₃₂) of emulsions was between 0.20 and 21.65 μm, and the zeta potential raised sharply from -34.10 to -28.46 mV. The emulsions stabilized by TPC-C have a decent storage stability after a high-temperature heat treatment. Overall, tea polysaccharide conjugates strongly stabilized the emulsions, which support their new application as natural emulsifiers.

Effects of Tea-Polysaccharide Conjugates and Metal Ions on Precipitate Formation by Epigallocatechin Gallate and Caffeine, the Key Components of Green Tea Infusion

The mechanism of tea-infusion precipitation is not clear. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and caffeine (CAF) are the core components of green tea infusion precipitate. The critical precipitation concentration ( C_CPC) of EGCG-CAF mixed aqueous solutions was assayed through a turbidity assay performed at 25 °C and verified by a differential-scanning calorimeter (DSC) for reliability. Different concentrations of the green tea polysaccharide conjugate fraction (gTPC-D), with a molecular weight of 2.32 × 10⁵ Da, and of metal ions (K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Al³⁺) were respectively introduced into the mixed solution to study their effects on C_CPC. On the basis of the changed C_CPC, the clarification-precipitation phase diagrams of the mixed aqueous solutions were constructed. By calculating the integral area of the clarification phase, it was determined that the four metal ions and gTPC-D could accelerate precipitate formation with a dose-response relationship; among the metal ions, the effect of Al³⁺ is the strongest, followed by that of Ca²⁺.

Antioxidant Effects of Short-Neck Clam (Tapes philippinarum) Water Extract Containing Taurine Against AAPH-Induced Oxidative Stress in Zebrafish Embryos

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activities of short-neck clam water extract (SNC-WE) enriched in taurine. In the present study, the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of the SNC-WE for DPPH, superoxide, and alkyl radical scavenging activities determined by an electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer were 3.16, 1.54 and 0.58 mg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of taurine enriched SNC-WE against the oxidative stress induced by 2,2'-azobis dihydrochloride (AAPH) in zebrafish embryos. In the present study, we observed that taurine enriched SNC-WE significantly suppressed reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, lipid peroxidation as well as cell death in the zebrafish model. These results indicate that taurine enriched SNC-WE might have antioxidant effects in both in vitro and in vivo zebrafish model.

Some Physical Properties of Protein Moiety of Alkali-Extracted Tea Polysaccharide Conjugates Were Shielded by Its Polysaccharide

Polysaccharide conjugates were alkali-extracted from green tea (TPC-A). Although it contained 11.80% covalently binding proteins, TPC-A could not bind to the Coomassie Brilliant Blue dyes G250 and R250. TPC-A had no expected characteristic absorption peak of protein in the UV-vis spectrum scanning in the range of 200-700 nm. The UV-vis wavelength of 280 nm was not suitable to detect the presence of the protein portion of TPC-A. The zeta potential of TPC-A merely presented the negative charge properties of polysaccharides instead of the acid-base property of its protein section across the entire pH range. Furthermore, TPC-A was more stable when the pH of solution exceeded 4.0. In addition, no precipitation or haze was generated in the TPC-A/(-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) mixtures during 12 h storage. TPC-A has emulsifying activity, which indicated that its protein moiety formed hydrophobic groups. Thus, it was proposed that some physical properties of TPC-A protein were shielded by its olysaccharide, since the protein moiety was wrapped by its polysaccharide chains.

Tea Polysaccharides and Their Bioactivities

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is a beverage beneficial to health and is also a source for extracting bioactive components such as theanine, tea polyphenols (TPP) and tea polysaccharides (TPS). TPS is a group of heteropolysaccharides bound with proteins. There is evidence showing that TPS not only improves immunity but also has various bioactivities, such as antioxidant, antitumor, antihyperglycemia, and anti-inflammation. However, inconsistent results concerning chemical composition and bioactivity of TPS have been published in recent years. The advances in chemical composition and bioactivities of TPS are reviewed in the present paper. The inconsistent and controversial results regarding composition and bioactivities of TPS are also discussed.

Interactions between α-amylase and an acidic branched polysaccharide from green tea

To understand the mechanism responsible for the α-amylase inhibitory activity of tea polysaccharides, the interaction between α-amylase and an acidic branched tea polysaccharide (TPSA) was investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy and resonance light scattering analysis. TPSA, exhibiting inhibitory activity towards α-amylase (the maximum inhibition percentage of 65%), was isolated from green tea (Camellia sinensis) and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and gas chromatography. Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that the binding interaction between the tryptophan residues of α-amylase and TPSA was predominant. Based on the fluorescence quenching effect of tryptophan residues induced by TPSA, the binding constants between α-amylase and TPSA were determined to be 18.6×10⁶, 8.0×10⁶ and 4.6×10⁶ L·mol^-1 at 20, 30 and 37°C, respectively. The calculated Gibbs free-energy changes were negative, indicating that the bonding interaction was a spontaneous process. The enthalpy and the entropy changes were -62.13 KJ·mol^-1 and -0.0728 KJ·mol^-1·K^-1, suggesting that hydrogen bonding interactions might play a major role in the binding process. The formation of an α-amylase/TPSA complex was evidenced by fluorescence quenching and resonance light scattering analysis, and this complex could be the main contributor to the α-amylase inhibitory activity of TPSA.

Recent advances in tea polysaccharides: Extraction, purification, physicochemical characterization and bioactivities

Tea has a long history of medicinal and dietary use. Tea polysaccharide (TPS) is regarded as one of the main bioactive constituents of tea and is beneficial for health. Over the last decades, considerable efforts have been devoted to the studies on TPS: extraction, structural feature and bioactivity of TPS. However, it has been received much less attention compared with tea polyphenols. In order to provide new insight for further development of TPS in functional foods, in present review we summarize the recent literature, update the information and put forward future perspectives on TPS covering its extraction, purification, quantitative determination techniques as well as physicochemical characterization and bioactivities.

The improvement effects of edible bird's nest on proliferation and activation of B lymphocyte and its antagonistic effects on immunosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide

Edible bird's nest (EBN) is regarded as an immune-enhancing food in the People's Republic of China. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the efficiency of EBN in improving the immunity of mouse both in vivo and in vitro. We observed the effects of EBN on spleen lymphocytes proliferation and activation, as well as immunoglobulin isotypes as indicators. In addition, we evaluated the content of total sIgA in the intestinal juice to assess mucosal immunity. The results showed that EBN could promote the proliferation and activation of B-cells and increase IgE, IgA, IgM, and IgG3 levels. We also found that EBN extract can promote the secretion of sIgA in the small intestine. Using cyclophosphamide (CY), we established an immunosuppressed mouse model in which we identified a reversal influence on the ratio of CD3(+)/CD19(+) cells, which indicates that EBN also protects B-cells from the damage induced by CY. We also applied polymyxin B to exclude the interference of lipopolysaccharide throughout the experiment. In conclusion, we found that EBN can reduce the intestinal immune injury induced by CY by accelerating the proliferation and activation of B-cells and enhancing antibody secretion of B-cells.

Pu-erh tea polysaccharides decrease blood sugar by inhibition of α-glucosidase activity in vitro and in mice

In this report we describe a group of carbohydrates found in pu-erh tea polysaccharide (PTPS) that can decrease blood sugar by inhibiting alpha-glucosidase.

Purification, characterization and biological activities in vitro of polysaccharides extracted from tea seeds

Three polysaccharide fractions (NTSPS, ATSPS1-1 and ATSPS2) were isolated and purified from the water extract of tea (Camellia sinensis) seeds with yields of 32.74%, 25.22%, and 11.09%, respectively. The average molecular weight of NTSPS, ATSPS1-1 and ATSPS2 was determined by HPGPC system, with an Mw of 4.588, 500 and 100 kDa, respectively. Monosaccharide analysis by ion chromatography revealed they differed from each other in monosaccharide kinds and molar ratio. Furthermore, ATSPS1-1 and ATSPS2 were heteropolysaccharide bounded with protein (2.83% and 2.12%) and 17 general amino acids were detected in them on an ion-chromatographic analyzer. The IR spectrum of ATSPS1-1 and ATSPS2 revealed the typical characteristics of polysaccharides and protein. In addition, the antitumor and immunological activity of the three polysaccharide fractions in vitro were also evaluated. It was found inhibition activity of NTSPS, ATSPS1-1 and ATSPS2 on K562 cells increased with increasing sample concentration and the inhibition ratios of them at 400 μg/mL were beyond 30.13 ± 3.54%, 36.61 ± 2.75% and 32.33 ± 2.53%, respectively. They also exhibited strong ability in promoting proliferation of mice splenic lymphocyte. Results of these studies indicated the three purified polysaccharides had a potential application as natural antitumor drugs.

Chemical compositions and bioactivities of crude polysaccharides from tea leaves beyond their useful date

The chemical compositions and bioactivities of crude tea polysaccharides (TPS) from the out-of-date tea leaves (beyond their useful date), namely Xihu Longjing (XTPS), Anxi Tieguanyin (TTPS), Chawentianxia (CTPS) and Huizhoulvcha (HTPS), in market were investigated. These TPS showed similar neutral sugar content and different distribution of molecular weight (1-800 kD). These crude TPS were mainly composed of rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, xylose, mannose, and galacturonic acid. IR spectra confirmed that these crude TPS were composed of polysaccharide, protein and uronic acids. These TPS showed similar DPPH scavenging activity and exhibited lower DPPH scavenging activities than Vc within 25-200 μg/mL. However, these TPS with higher concentrations (200-400 μg/mL) showed similar DPPH scavenging activity with Vc. HTPS exhibited significant higher superoxide anion scavenging activity than others TPS and gallic acid. XTPS showed significant higher inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and α-amylase with inhibitory percentages of 64.35% and 82.24% than others TPS. TTPS, XTPS, and HTPS exhibited similar inhibition ability on α-d-glucosidase and α-amylase. The overdue tea leaves can be a resource of tea polysaccharides as function food.

Hyperbranched acidic polysaccharide from green tea

An acidic tea polysaccharide (ALTPS), isolated from green tea ( Camellia sinensis ), was characterized as a hyperbranched glycoprotein containing the acidic heteropolysaccharide chains and the protein residues from the results of UV-vis, FTIR, one- and two-dimensional NMR, GC, GC-MS, and amino acid analyses. Solution properties of ALTPS were investigated by static and dynamic light scattering analyses and viscometry. The results indicated that the viscosity behavior of ALTPS exhibited a typical polyelectrolyte effect in distilled water, which may be avoided by adding salts. The low intrinsic viscosity of ALTPS in the solutions (8-15 mL/g) is attributed to its hyperbranched structure. By application of the polymer solution theory, it was revealed that ALTPS was present in a sphere-like conformation in the solutions as a result of the hyperbranched structure. The TEM image further confirmed that ALTPS existed in a spherical conformation in aqueous NaCl solution. Glucose was absorbed by ALTPS, which may be one of blood glucose lowering mechanisms of tea polysaccharides.