Consumption of mate tea (Ilex paraguariensis) decreases the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in mouse liver

Abstract

Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is rich in polyphenolic compounds, which are thought to contribute to the health benefits of tea. Mate tea was administered orally to mice at a dose of 0·5, 1·0 or 2·0 g/kg for 60 d, and changes both in serum lipid concentration and fatty acid composition of liver and kidney were examined. The effects of mate tea on serum and tissue lipid peroxidation were assessed by the evaluation of thiobarbituric acidreactive substances (TBARS). In tea-consuming mice, both MUFA (18 : 1n-9) and PUFA (18 : 2n-6 and 20 : 4n-6) were increased (P, 0·05) in the liver lipid (approximately 90 and 60 %, respectively), whereas only MUFA (approximately 20 %) were increased in the kidney lipid. The most altered PUFA class was n-6 PUFA, which increased by approximately 60-75 % (P, 0·05). This difference in the fatty acid profile in the liver is reflected in the increased PUFA:SFA ratio. Consistent with these results, mice fed with mate tea had much lower TBARS in the liver. No differences (P.0·05) were found in the levels of serum cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and TAG under the conditions of the present study. These results suggest that treatment with mate tea was able to protect unsaturated fatty acids from oxidation and may have selective protective effects within the body, especially on the liver.

Composition and Bioactive Properties of Yerba Mate (llex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil.): A Review

“…Yerba mate extracts have been previously shown to provide antioxidant activity and inhibition of low-densitylipoproteins oxidation (Gugliucci and Stahl, 1995;Filip et al, 2000;Chandra and De Mejia Gonzalez, 2004) in vitro (Gugliucci and Stahl, 1995;Filip et al, 2000) and in vivo (Gugliucci, 1996;Schinella et al, 2000;Lanzetti et al, 2008). Similarly, Martins et al (2009) determined that mice fed yerba mate had lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the liver, suggesting that treatment with yerba mate extract protected unsaturated fatty acids from oxidation and may especially protect the liver (Martins et al, 2009).…”

Comparative study of the effect of green and roasted water extracts of mate (Ilex paraguariensis) on glucosyltransferase activity ofStreptococcus mutans

“…13,14 The present authors recently reported that mate tea was able to protect unsaturated fatty acids from oxidation and decrease DNA damage in the liver of mice. 15,16 It also presents a hypocholesterolemic effect, which is associated with the inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity. 17 Other biological effects such as chemopreventive activity, 18,19 choleretic effect, 20 vasodilatation effect, 21 inhibition of glycation, 22 and anti-atherosclerotic properties 23 were also reported.…”

Microwave drying and NIR spectroscopy for the rapid moisture measurement of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis)leaves during storage

“…The species has high nutritional value, particularly antioxidant properties, which is important to maintain human health. [1][2][3][4] Color, flavor, and fragrance are the principal quality attributes of yerba mate, [5] all of which are influenced by moisture content. Therefore, moisture control and monitoring are necessary in the production chain to prevent the growth of spoilage microorganisms and lengthen the storage period.…”