Daily consumption of white tea (Camellia sinensis (L.)) improves the cerebral cortex metabolic and oxidative profile in prediabetic Wistar rats

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major public health problem and its incidence is rising dramatically. The brain, particularly the cerebral cortex, is very susceptible to glucose fluctuations and hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative stress. Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.)) is widely consumed; however, the antidiabetic properties of white tea remain largely unexplored. In the present study, we investigated the effects of daily consumption of white tea on the cerebral cortex of prediabetic rats. The cerebral cortex metabolic profile was evaluated, and the expression levels of GLUT, phosphofructokinase-1, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and monocarboxylate transporter 4 were assessed. LDH activity was also determined. The cerebral cortex oxidative profile was determined by evaluating its antioxidant power, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation levels. Catalase, glutathione, glutamate, N-acetylaspartate, aspartate, choline, g-aminobutyric acid, taurine and valine contents were determined. Daily consumption of white tea ameliorated glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Moreover, white tea altered the cortex glycolytic profile, modulating GLUT expression and lactate and alanine contents. Finally, white tea consumption restored protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation levels and catalase expression, and improved antioxidant capacity. In conclusion, daily consumption of white tea improved the cerebral cortex metabolic and oxidative profile in prediabetic rats, suggesting it as a good, safe and inexpensive strategy to prevent DM-related effects in the cerebral cortex.

White tea consumption restores sperm quality in prediabetic rats preventing testicular oxidative damage

“…The data obtained do not allow us to decipher the mechanistic reasons behind the increased number of epididymal spermatozoa observed in the animals of the PrDM + WTEA model. Still, it might be speculated that the drastic increase observed on the antioxidant power of the testicular tissue of PrDM + WTEA rats, as well as for other tissues of these animals Nunes et al, 2015), is probably associated with an increased spermatogenic index. In fact, OS in testes is critical as it poses a risk to the viability and quality of germ cell development.…”

Effect of water quality on the main components in Fuding white tea infusions

“…White tea is unfermented and prepared exclusively from young tea leaves and buds that have tiny, silvery hairs (Kim et al 2015;Nunes et al 2015;Rusak et al 2008;Hajiaghaalipour et al 2015) that differ from other teas (Zielinski et al 2016). During growth, buds may be shielded from sunlight in order to reduce the chlorophyll content, which makes the leaves appear white (Kim et al 2015).…”

“…Catechins such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechins (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC) are the principal bioactive compounds present in tea (Chen et al 2010;Narukawa et al 2010Narukawa et al , 2011. White tea also contains high levels of polyphenols, caffeine, gallic acid and other constituents (Song et al 2015;Hilal and Engelhardt 2007), and EGCG is the most abundant compound in white tea, followed by caffeine (Nunes et al 2015). Thus, white tea possesses high levels of bioactive compounds and has demonstrable antioxidant activity, which makes it a promising source of functional compounds with physiological properties (Zielinski et al 2016).…”

Teh putih (Camellia sinensis) dan kelor (Moringa oleifera) sebagai antihiperglikemia pada tikus Sprague dawley yang diinduksi streptozotocin

“…Kandungan kafein pada teh putih yang lebih banyak dibandingkan dengan teh hijau dan kelor (Hilal & Engelhardt 2007;Dias et al 2013) diduga menyebabkan kenaikan glukosa darah pada kelompok TP. Kafein merangsang pelepasan hormon epinefrin dan norepinefrin yang dapat menyebabkan peningkatan glukoneogenesis hepatik, glikogenolisis hepatik dan otot (Nunes et al 2015). Konsumsi kafein dalam jumlah sedang mampu memberikan perlindungan pada persarafan, menurunkan resistensi dan disfungsi insulin (Duarte et al 2009).…”