Responses of Different Cancer Cells to White Tea Aqueous Extract

Abstract

White tea from the eastern Chinese province of Fujian is a unique tea variety. Although the health effects of various teas have been investigated in recent years, most studies focused exclusively on green tea varieties. In order to study effects exerted by white tea from eastern Fujian on the viability of cancer cells, we analyzed its main bioactive ingredients. We also evaluated the antioxidant activity of white tea aqueous extract (WTAE) and employed MTT assay to evaluate effects of WTAE on viabilities of Hela and BEL‐7402 cancer cell lines. Apoptosis rate detection was also applied to estimate efficacy of cellular apoptotic induction by WTAE in these two cells types. Results revealed that WTAE exhibited high antioxidant activity and inhibited effectively the proliferation of Hela and BEL‐7402 cells. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of WTAE for Hela cells (0.05 mg/mL) was lower than that for BEL‐7402 cells (0.1 mg/mL). Although WTAE induced apoptosis in both cell lines, pro‐apoptotic effects were markedly more apparent in Hela cells. Our study demonstrated that WTAE inhibited proliferation of cancer cells via induction of apoptosis and that Hela cells were more sensitive to WTAE than BEL‐7402 cells. Practical Application The aim of this study is to provide a new approach toward cancer prevention by consuming white tea, the properties of which may also be helpful in formulating novel anticancer therapeutics.

White Tea Reduced Bone Loss by Suppressing the TRAP/CTX Pathway in Ovariectomy-Induced Osteoporosis Model Rats

“…In our previous study, WT was determined to suppress caspase-3-mediated apoptosis in chemotherapy-induced rat kidney tissue [Saral et al, 2019]. In another study, Liu et al [2018] showed that WT aqueous extracts inhibited cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. These results show that the highly bioactive components of WT a p = 0.00, b p = 0.005 versus sham group; c p = 0.00, d p = 0.045 versus OVX group.…”

Green and white teas as health-promoting foods

“…Anti-cancer effects of tea have been the focus of much research in recent years. 31,[55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65] Polyphenols in tea play an important role in the prevention and control of cancer progression due to their different properties. 55,56 The mechanisms studied are generally based on antioxidant activity, regulation of the cell cycle, modulation of the immune system and epigenetic control.…”

“…55,56 The mechanisms studied are generally based on antioxidant activity, regulation of the cell cycle, modulation of the immune system and epigenetic control. 57,60,63 In general, tea polyphenols suppress tumour growth and cancer cell proliferation, 55,56 while also possess proapoptotic 31,55 and chemopreventive effects. 56 According to in vitro studies, several mechanisms for the anti-cancer effects of tea catechins have been observed.…”

“…56 According to in vitro studies, several mechanisms for the anti-cancer effects of tea catechins have been observed. 57,59,60,63 Shirakami and Shimizu 63 showed the effect of EGCG in reducing telomerase and caspase activities. Additionally, ECGC also indicate the possibility of altering the epigenetics signals in cancer cells through histone modification and DNA methylation.…”

“…31 For the other types of cancer, contradictory findings have been observed. 31 Current research focuses mainly on the effects of tea on colorectal cancer, [55][56][57] breast cancer 61,62,64 and prostate cancer. [58][59][60] Colon cancer begins in the large intestine.…”