Potent antioxidative activity of non-polyphenolic fraction of green tea (Camellia sinensis) - association with pheophytins a and b

✍ Scribed by Higashi-Okai, Kiyoka; Taniguchi, Makoto; Okai, Yasuji

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 78 KB
• Volume: 80
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5142
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0010(20000101)80:1<117::aid-jsfa499>3.0.co;2-8

✦ Synopsis

The antioxidative activity of green tea-derived polyphenols known as catechins has been extensively studied. However, the antioxidative activity of the non-polyphenolic fraction of green tea has been poorly elucidated and is the subject of the present study. The non-polyphenolic fraction of green tea showed a signi®cant dose-dependent suppressive effect against the autooxidation of linoleic acid. The chlorophyll-related compounds pheophytins a and b showed similar antioxidative activities in the same assay, much higher than those of a-tocopherol and the green tea catechin (À)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). The non-polyphenolic fraction of green tea and pheophytins a and b exhibited suppressive activities against superoxide anion (y À 2 ) generation in mouse macrophages induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, showing higher activities than that of EGCG. These results suggest that the non-polyphenolic fraction of green tea leaves has potent antioxidative activity and that this activity is associated with pheophytins a and b.