Comparison of NO-scavenging and NO-suppressing activities of different herbal teas with those of green tea

Oxidative stress caused by the production of excess nitric oxide (NO) during infection or inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including cancer, diabetes and renal disease. Accordingly, the scavenging of NO radical or/and suppression of NO production by mitogen-activated cells may be promising indicators in screening healthy food. In this work, the NO-scavenging and NO-suppressing activities of different herbal teas were determined and compared with those of green tea. All of the tested herbal teas revealed NO-scavenging and NO-suppressing activities. The NO-scavenging activity of herbal teas can be ranked by the IC₅₀, the concentration of the tested herbal tea required to quench 50% of NO radicals released by sodium nitroprusside. The activities follow the order: green tea > rosemary, sweet osmanthus, rose and lavender > jasmine, lemongrass and daisy. The NO-suppressing activity was evaluated, based on the suppressing effect of herbal teas on the production of NO by LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Experimental results indicated that green tea and rosemary had IC₅₀ values of less than 500 μg/ml, and were proven to be good NO-suppressors, whereas lavender, sweet osmanthus, lemongrass, rose, daisy and jasmine had IC₅₀ values that exceeded 500 μg/ml, and were classified as rather poor NO-suppressors. In conclusion, consumption of herbal teas promotes the NO-scavenging and NO-suppressing activities of the diet, even though their activities are weaker than that of green tea.     

Antioxidant and anti-glycation properties of Thai herbal teas in comparison with conventional teas

Fifteen Thai herbal teas in comparison with teas of Camellia sinensis, were studied for their antioxidants and anti-glycation properties in correlation with their total phenolics, flavonoids, and non-flavonoids contents. Significant differences were observed among the tea infusions. Only stevia and sappan herbal teas had primary antioxidants and anti-glycation capacities comparable to C. sinensis. However, purple velvet, mulberry and false mallow herbal teas were exceptionally stronger in metal chelating capacity than the C. sinensis teas. Principal component analysis showed that total phenolics, particularly flavonoids highly correlated with primary antioxidants and anti-glycation. Cluster analysis showed that the properties of stevia and sappan herbal teas were similar to green, black and oolong teas. Some common, but rarely mentioned, Thai herbal teas could be choices of interest for healthy beverages and could be new dietary sources for bioactive compounds.     

Anti-hydrogen peroxide activity of fish and soy sauce

Shoyu is the Japanese name for soy sauce and the most popular liquid condiment (seasoning) used in Japanese cuisine as well as in cuisines of other oriental countries. Shoyu is prepared by digesting mold-cultured soybeans and wheat seeded with an aspergillus (koji in Japanese) in the presence of sodium chloride. Gyoshoyu is produced when the soybeans and wheat are replaced with fish. Both Shoyu and Gyoshoyu have high level of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity. Hydrogen peroxide is produced in green tea after exposure to air. To find a safe and economical method of preventing the production of H₂O₂ in green tea, effects of Shoyu and Gyoshoyu on H₂O₂ level in bottled green tea were examined. Both Shoyu and Gyoshoyu suppressed the production of H₂O₂. Gyoshoyu decomposed H₂O₂ possibly because of the presence of a thermostable catalase, while Shoyu did not. Some components of Shoyu and Gyoshoyu may be useful to suppress the production of H₂O₂ in green tea.     

Mineral content of some herbs and herbal teas by infusion and decoction

Sage (Salvia fruticosa L.), anise (Pimpinella anisum L.), Hawthorn (Crataegus orientalis), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), mountain tea (Sideritis spp), basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), lime flower (Tilia cordata), nettle (Urtica dioica L.), thyme (Thymbra spicata), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), rosehip (Rosa canina L.), mentha (Mentha piperita L.), balm (Melissa officinalis L.), tea (Camelia sinensis L.) (Black and green), sena leaf (Casia angustifolia), camomile (Matricaria chamomilla), tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.), cinnamon (Cinnamomum casia) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) were used as plant material in this study. Decoction was applied to R. canina, A. dracunculus and C. casia, and infusion was applied to other plant materials. Ten, 15 and 20 min were used as a time parameter for both infusion and decection. Inductive coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AEs) has been used for the determination of the elements in all infusions, decoctions and plant material.     

Aqueous extract of citrus peel reduces production of hydrogen peroxide in catechin-enriched green tea

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is gradually produced in bottle-packed beverages, including tea and coffee, after the cap has been opened, i.e, through exposure to air, though only a small amount of H₂O₂ is detected in the beverage immediately after the bottle is opened. Since, H₂O₂ is toxic, it is necessary to develop safe and simple ways of reducing its production in bottled beverages. The addition of an aqueous extract of citrus peel reduced the concentration of H₂O₂ in green tea. To characterise the active constituents in the citrus peel, the aqueous extract of the peel was fractionated using chloroform, ethyl acetate, and butanol, in that order, and subjected to gel chromatography. The active constituents in the citrus peel were water-soluble compounds of various molecular weights.     

Detection of estrogenic activity in herbal teas by in vitro reporter assays

Herbal teas have become popular as alternatives to caffeinated beverages during past two decades. However, toxicological studies of herbal teas have been limited and the safety of herbal teas thus remains unknown. We focused on the estrogenic activities of herbal teas since some of their ingredients are similar to those used in herbal remedies for menopause relief and therefore contain phytoestrogens. To investigate the potential estrogenic activity of extracts prepared from herbal tea mixtures commercially available and to provide useful information for the safety assessment of those products, we initially screened the estrogenic activity in extracts of 15 different herbal teas by an assay using recombinant yeast cells expressing the human estrogen receptor (YES). A distinct estrogenic activity was thus detected in the ethanolic extracts from four herbal tea mixtures. Licorice root was specified as a ingredient responsible for the estrogenic activity in those extracts. In contrast, the aqueous extracts of all herbal tea mixtures we tested exhibited distinct estrogenic activity in YES, thus suggesting the existence of various ingredients that contain estrogenic constituents extractable with water. Among them, the extract of peppermint tea exhibited the highest estrogenic activity. The estrogenic activity in extracts of herbal tea mixtures and specified ingredients were thereafter confirmed by a reporter assay system using transiently transfected HEK293 cells.     

Prevention of the deterioration of polyphenol-rich beverages

Only a small amount of H₂O₂ was detected in beverages, such as tea or coffee, immediately after opening caps of bottles, but H₂O₂ was gradually produced in the beverages after opening the caps, i.e. exposure to air. The beverages with high concentrations of polyphenols showed high 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activities, but produced relatively high concentrations of H₂O₂ when they were exposed to air, possibly due to oxygen. The production of H₂O₂ increased both with duration of the exposure to air and rise in temperature. Since H₂O₂ is toxic, ways to prevent the deterioration of catechin-enriched green tea, i.e. H₂O₂ production, were studied. The addition of catalase, which is an enzyme decomposing H₂O₂, reduced the H₂O₂ concentration, but it was inactivated at a high temperature. The addition of l-cysteine or glutathione (reduced form), with a thiol residue, reduced the H₂O₂ concentration. Addition of citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, l-ascorbic acid, l-glutamic acid and l-aspartic acid also reduced it, possibly because they lower the pH of the tea.     

Pyrrolizidine and tropane alkaloids in teas and the herbal teas peppermint,rooibos and chamomile in the Israeli market

Dehydro pyrrolizidine alkaloids (dehydro PAs) are carcinogenic phytotoxins prevalent in the Boraginaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae families. Dehydro PAs enter the food and feed chain by co-harvesting of crops intended for human and animal consumption as well as by carry-over into animal-based products such as milk, eggs and honey. Recently the occurrence of dehydro PAs in teas and herbal teas has gained increasing attention from the EU, due to the high levels of dehydro PAs found in commercially available teas and herbal teas in Germany and Switzerland. Furthermore, several tropane alkaloids (TAs, e.g. scopolamine and hyoscyamine) intoxications due to the consumption of contaminated herbal teas were reported in the literature. The aim of the present study was to determine the dehydro PAs and TAs levels in 70 pre-packed teabags of herbal and non-herbal tea types sold in supermarkets in Israel. Chamomile, peppermint and rooibos teas contained high dehydro PAs levels in almost all samples analysed. Lower amounts were detected in black and green teas, while no dehydro PAs were found in fennel and melissa herbal teas. Total dehydro PAs concentrations in chamomile, peppermint and rooibos teas ranged from 20 to 1729 μg/kg. Except for black tea containing only mono-ester retrorsine-type dehydro PAs, all other teas and herbal teas showed mixed patterns of dehydro PA ester types, indicating a contamination by various weed species during harvesting and/or production. The TA levels per teabag were below the recommended acute reference dose; however, the positive findings of TAs in all peppermint tea samples warrant a more extensive survey. The partially high levels of dehydro PAs found in teas and herbal teas present an urgent warning letter to the regulatory authorities to perform routine quality control analysis and implement maximum residual levels for dehydro PAs.     

The composition of polyphenols and methylxanthines in teas and herbal infusions

The popularity of tea is increasing on the global aspect because of its role as a significant source of phenolic compounds in human diet. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the phenolic and methylxanthine composition as well as the antioxidant capacity of white, green, Oolong and black teas, and chamomile and linden infusions depending on the extraction conditions (water temperature and multiple extractions). The content of total phenols and total flavonoids in teas and herbal infusions was determined by using UV/vis spectrophotometric methods, whilst individual polyphenols (phenolic acids and flavan-3-ols) and methylxanthines were identified and quantified by using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection. In order to determine the antioxidant capacity of teas the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays were applied. The highest content of phenolic compounds was determined in green tea, which also demonstrated the highest antioxidant capacity, whilst herbal infusions were characterised with the lowest content of phenolic compounds, as well as the lowest antioxidant capacity. The highest content of caffeine, as the most abundant methylxanthine, was determined in black tea. Extraction at 100 °C is the most effective to extract the highest content of polyphenols and methylxanthines in all studied teas.     

Antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition of fermented Centella asiatica herbal teas

BACKGROUND: C. asiatica was exposed to various fermentations: no fermentation (0 min), partial fermentation (120 min) and full fermentation (24 h). Total phenolic content (TPC) and ferric‐reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of C. asiatica infusions were studied as a function of water temperature (60, 80 or 100 °C), the brewing stage (one, two or three) and the brewing time (1, 3, 5, 10, 15 or 20 min). The optimum brewing procedure was adopted to study the antioxidant properties and phenolic compounds in C. asiatica infusions. RESULTS: The optimum extraction efficiency of C. asiatica infusions was achieved at 100 °C after a 10 min brewing time, and decreased substantially after applying multiple brewing steeps. However, no significant different was found between the second and third infusions. The non‐fermented C. asiatica (CANF) infusion had the highest antioxidant activity. Gallic acid, naringin, chlorogenic acid, catechin, rutin, rosmarinic acid and quercetin were identified to present. Luteolin and kaempferol were only found in 80% methanol extraction method. CONCLUSION: C. asiatica herbal teas should be prepared at 100 °C for 10 min to obtain the optimum antioxidant capacity. Multiple brewing steps in C. asiatica herbal tea are encouraged due to the certain amount of antioxidant obtained. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Antioxidative activities of caffeoyl-proline dipeptides

The benefits of antioxidants in treating degenerative diseases, delaying ageing and preserving food, have been extensively studied. In our previous study, we found that caffeoyl-Pro-His dipeptide (CA-Pro-His-NH₂) showed the highest antioxidative activity among the histidine- containing caffeic acid dipeptides (CA-His-Xaa-NH₂ and CA-Xaa-His-NH₂). We assumed that the addition of proline to the CA-Pro-His-NH₂ structure may synergistically enhance its antioxidative activity. Therefore, we synthesised twenty different caffeoyl-proline dipeptides (CA-Pro-Xaa-NH₂), and evaluated their antioxidative activities with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibition tests. Some of the CA-Pro-Xaa-NH₂ showed higher free radical scavenging activities than CA, and even CA- CA-Pro-His-NH₂. However, CA-Pro-His-NH₂ still exhibited the highest antioxidative activity in reducing lipid peroxidation.     

Antioxidant capacity of herbal infusions and tea extracts: A comparison of ORAC-fluorescein and ORAC-pyrogallol red methodologies

Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values have been obtained for a series of teas and herbal infusions employing 2,2′-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) as free radical source, and fluorescein and pyrogallol red as target molecules. The amounts of phenols in the extracts were evaluated by Folin’s methodology. ORAC values are extremely dependent upon the employed target molecule. Even more, relative ORAC values measured for different infusions depend upon the employed methodology. For example, ORAC-fluorescein value of Aloysia citriodora is larger than that of green tea, while if pyrogallol red is employed as target molecule green tea appears as nearly nine times more efficient. Similarly, for extracts with comparable amounts of phenols, herbal infusions are more efficient than teas by ORAC-fluorescein, while opposite conclusions are obtained if ORAC-pyrogallol red values are considered. Extreme care must then be taken for conclusions obtained from ORAC values estimated by employing a single target molecule.     

Polyphenol contents of Pu-Erh teas and their abilities to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis in Hep G2 cell line

Thirty samples of Pu-Erh tea (a microbial fermented Chinese tea) were collected and assayed for cholesterol synthesis inhibitory activity and polyphenol composition. All samples were able to inhibit the cholesterol biosynthesis in Hep G2 cell model and the inhibition ratios ranged from 7% to 35%. The inhibition abilities of tea polyphenol standards were in the order of gallocatechin gallate (GCG) > epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) > epicatechin gallate (ECG) > gallic acid > epigallocatechin (EGC) > myricetin > quercetin > catechin (C) > epicatechin (EC). It appears that catechins with a galloyl structure on the B ring or a gallic acid moiety in the structure would have better inhibitory activity. In summary, tea polyphenol may play a role on the cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitory ability of Pu-Erh tea.     

Determination of hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity of phenolic acids by employing gold nanoshells precursor composites as nanoprobes

A series of phenolic acids were tested for their ability to scavenge hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by using a novel enzyme-free, spectrophotometry assay. Gold nanoshells (GNSs) precursor composites were selected as the optical nanoprobes. The approach was based on the H₂O₂-induced growth of GNSs, which combines nanoscience with food/health research as an innovative detection scheme. The addition of phenolic acids inhibits the formation of complete GNSs and the corresponding peak wavelength changes rationally, which could be used as an optical signature. Among the tested samples, caffeic acid is found to be the most efficient H₂O₂-scavenger with its H₂O₂-scavenging activity being 125 × 10⁻³ μM⁻¹, whereas trans-cinnamic acid exhibits the weakest activity (0.73 × 10⁻³ μM⁻¹). Results obtained were considered on the basis of structure–activity relationships. Additionally, several tea and herb extracts were also evaluated. The presented wavelength-based detection method shows superiority in evaluating coloured samples, which avoids background interference compared with the conventional absorbance-based optical methods.     

一种簕菜凉茶的研制及抗氧化活性研究

以恩平簕菜为主要原料,用总黄酮含量为主要质控指标,采用单因素和正交试验考察簕菜凉茶的生产配方;并研究其清除ABTS自由基和DPPH自由基的抗氧化能力。结果表明：簕菜浸提工艺为料液比1:12g/mL、浸提次数3次、浸提时间180min;凉茶最优配方为：簕菜汁24%,陈皮汁4.25%,甘蔗汁15%,VC含量为0.18%,柠檬酸含量为0.02%,液体麦芽糖醇含量为2.0%,β-CD环糊精为0.6%。本品口感好、抗氧化作用好,具有广泛的市场应用前景。     

苹果幼果中酚类物质抗氧化活性研究

为研究苹果幼果多酚抗氧化活性强弱,实验采用四种体外抗氧化评价体系:亚铁还原能力（ferric reducing ability of plasma,FRAP）,DPPH法,邻苯三酚自氧化体系及邻二氮菲-Fe3+-H2O2法初步研究其抗氧化活性。结果表明,苹果幼果多酚具有较强的总还原能力,幼果多酚浓度为90μg/m L时,其对DPPH·、O-2·及·OH的最大清除率分别可达96.96%、70.61%和82.20%,且不同浓度幼果多酚与相应浓度阳性对照间差异显著（p<0.05）。相关性分析表明,幼果多酚与Fe SO4当量浓度、DPPH·清除率、O-2·清除率及·OH清除率之间均存在明显的量效关系。苹果幼果多酚是一种优良的天然抗氧化剂和自由基清除剂。      

枸杞芽茶与叶茶的化学成分和抗氧化活性分析

以宁夏枸杞芽茶、枸杞叶茶为原料,利用热水浸提(料液比1∶40、温度96℃、时间30 min)制备枸杞芽茶与叶茶提取物并对其所含的化学成分含量进行测定,采用HPLC对枸杞芽茶与叶茶提取物中游离氨基酸的组成进行了分析,利用DPPH自由基、ABTS自由基、超氧阴离子自由基清除率、总还原力为指标对枸杞芽茶、叶茶茶汤提取物的抗氧化活性进行分析评价。结果表明,枸杞芽茶、枸杞叶茶提取物中多酚含量分别为6.32%、2.96%。枸杞芽茶与叶茶提取物中天冬氨酸(3230.41、2440.96μg/g)、天冬酰胺(3754.77、3495.57μg/g)、组氨酸(5585.26、2825.17μg/g)以及亮氨酸(4376.09、1051.00μg/g)含量较为丰富。枸杞芽茶与叶茶提取物相比抗氧化活性较强,二者对DPPH自由基(IC50:147.63、241.23μg/m L)、ABTS自由基(IC50:109.87、145.32μg/m L)以及超氧阴离子自由基(IC50:46.58、54.32μg/m L)均具有良好的清除能力,与叶茶相比,枸杞芽茶具有更好的抗氧化活性。      

Evaluation of trace metal concentrations in some herbs and herbal teas by principal component analysis

Sixteen trace metallic analytes (Ba, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Sr and Zn) in acid digests of herbal teas were determined and the data subjected to chemometric evaluation in an attempt to classify the herbal tea samples. Nettle, Senna, Camomile, Peppermint, Lemon Balm, Sage, Hollyhock, Linden, Lavender, Blackberry, Ginger, Galangal, Cinnamon, Green tea, Black tea, Rosehip, Thyme and Rose were used as plant materials in this study. Trace metals in these plants were determined by using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and cluster analysis (CA) were used as classification techniques. About 18 plants were classified into 5 groups by PCA and all group members determined by PCA are in the predicted group that 100.0% of original grouped cases correctly classified by LDA. Very similar grouping was obtained using CA.     

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-browning activities of hot water extracts of oriental herbal teas

Traditionally, antioxidants are used to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are harmful by-products of aerobic metabolism. Inulae Flos, Horsetail, Chinese Leucas, Broomweed and Indian Wikstroemia are five herbal teas commonly consumed by Asians. Our aim was to investigate the hot water extracts of these five herbal teas for their total phenolics/flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacities. Furthermore, with inflammation and hyper-pigmentation considered as two biological processes associated with elevated cellular oxidative stress, Inulae Flos water extract was chosen for further evaluation of its inhibitory effects on the production of LPS-induced inflammatory mediators (such as, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β) in RAW 264.7 cells and its anti-tyrosinase activity. Our findings suggest that Inulae Flos might be an alternative source as a potential antioxidant, and a noteworthy inhibitor of production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, it could also serve as a potential natural food additive to prevent browning.