No abstract

Non-vitamin polyphenolic compounds are ubiquitous in food plants and therefore potentially present in human plasma in a diet-dependent concentration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration-dependent effect of (-) epicatechin, a polyphenol present in green tea with antioxidant activity, on various biomarkers of oxidative stress. The current study examined the in vitro concentration-dependent (10(-4) M to 10(-7) M) effects of (-) epicatechin on biomarkers of oxidative stress viz. malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), membrane sulfhydryl (-SH) group and protein carbonyl content in hypertensive patients and normal ones. This effect seems to be due to ability of (-) epicatechin to reduce MDA and protein carbonyl content while increase in GSH and membrane -SH group in hypertensive patients. It can be concluded that (-) epicatechin exerts an antioxidant action inside the cell, responsible for the observed modulation of cellular response to oxidative challenges.

Although the antioxidant properties of flavonoids are well documented, it is still unclear whether these effects are dependent on radical scavenging or iron chelating activities. Oxidative stress, a state of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity, is associated with vascular disease conditions such as hypertension. Both the anti- and pro-oxidant effects of tea catechins have been implicated in the alterations of cellular functions that determine their chemoprotective and therapeutic potentials in health and diseases. The present study examined the concentration dependent (10(-7) to 10(-4)  m) effects of (-)-epicatechin and L-ascorbic acid on Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase and Ca(2+) -ATPase activity in hypertensive patients and normal subjects. L-ascorbic acid has been used as a positive control to compare the effect of (-)-epicatechin. A significant (p < 0.0001) decrease in the activities of Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase and Ca(2+) -ATPase was observed in hypertensive patients compared with normal subjects. We report that (-)-epicatechin shows a significant (p < 0.001) dose-dependent protective effect against oxidative stress induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP), which is manisfested as a decrease in the activity of erythrocyte Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase and Ca(2+) -ATPase, in hypertensive patients as well as normal subjects. The effect of L-ascorbic acid was also significant (p < 0.001) and was comparable with that of (-)-epicatechin.

The two protocols in this unit provide suggestions for constructing models of eating disorders that are at the opposite ends of the spectrum: dietary hyperphagia and anorexia nervosa. The greatest degree of dietary hyperphagia is induced by giving rats or mice access to a daily choice of highly palatable foods (e.g., chocolate or bread) in addition to their regular chow. Like humans, rats overeat and actually develop physiological requirements for these foods. This model can be used to test the effects of putative anorectic agents on both acute and chronic administration regimens. The second protocol describes a model of compulsive behavior that results in profound weight loss, which is produced by moderate food deprivation along with continuous access to exercise wheels.

We hypothesizes that a higher intake of (-)-epicatechin may provide protection against hypertension in males and females.