• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.191-196
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• 2003

This study was performed to investigate the effect of water extract of green tea (GT), persimmon leaf (PL) and safflower seed (SS) on heme synthesis and erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities in lead (Pb)-administered rats. Male rats were divided into five groups. a normal, Pb-control (Pb-Con), Pb-GT, Pb-PL and Pb-55 groups with ten rats per group. Pb (25 mg/kg. BW) was orally administerd once a day for 4 weeks. The extract of GT, PL and 55 were administered based on 1.26 g of raw traditional tea/kg BW/day. Blood hematocrit, homoglobin level and red blood cell counts were significantly lower in rb-Con group than in normal group. However, the supplementation of GT, PL and 55 were effective to improve the hematological parameters. Plasma AST and ALT activities were significantly lower in Pb-GT, Pb-PL, Pb-SS groups than in Pb-Con group. The $\delta$ -amino-levulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity of blood and liver were significantly lowered in Pb-Con group com-pared to those of the normal group. The ALAD activity in Pb administered rats was recovered to tile normal level by the water extract of GT, PL and 55 supplementation. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and catalse activities were significantly higher in Pb-Con group than in normal group, whereas glutathione peroxidase activity was lowered in Pb administered rats. The extract of GT, PL and SS supplement attenuated changes of these erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities by Pb intoxication.