• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.32 no.7
• /
• pp.838-843
• /
• 1999

Antitumor effects of various teas have been studied for a long time. Among them, green tea is one of the most popular test and very close to our lives in Korea. However, precise effect and mechanism about antitumor effects of green tea were not estabilished. The present study investigated the antitumor effect of catechin, which is main component of green tea, which was produced in Korea, was used. In each group, morphological changes were observed induced severe cell damage and growth inhibition gradually until 24hours. Then catechin effect was found to be concentration-and time-dependent. EATC was injured abruptly at 100ug/ml catechin treatment for 6 hours and the effect lasted constantly until 24 hours. But in both of cell lines, cell damage and inhibition of proliferation did not show up apparently at concentration of 10 and 1ug/ml. In contrast, catechin led to little or no effect against HepG2 in all of concentrations and periods. These results suggest that catechin extracted from green tea had different effect on cancer cells as cell type, concentration and period. Therefore green tea would be helpful to cancer treatment as well as cancer prevention and this study would be the basic source for further research of green tea.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.416-424
• /
• 2018

The physiologically advantageous aspects of green tea have been identified recently and green tea has been a favorite drink of many people. Due to the increased awareness of green tea's positive effects on human health, the demand for foods containing green tea has increased. This has led to the development of diverse green tea-related beverages; thereby many companies in Korea have put a wide variety of manufactured green tea beverages on the market. However, the components within green tea beverages have not been examined in Korea yet. In this study, we investigated the contents of the physiologically functional materials found in green tea, such as catechin, catechin gallate, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatecin gallate, gallocatechin gallate and caffeine. Fifty-six green tea products purchased from the local grocery stores and cafes were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. As a result, all tested products contained catechin and caffeine, although the amount of each component was largely different. The total amount of catechin derivatives in the manufactured green tea beverages purchased from cafes was 263.17 mg/L, while they were 61.99 mg/L in the beverages purchased from the local grocery stores. And, to the almost samples the amount of caffeine was proportional to the amount of catechin.

• Nutritional Sciences
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.175-180
• /
• 2005

Green tea, which has high polyphenols amount, is thought to have hypocholesterolemic effects. The present study was performed to further examine the hypocholesterolemic action of green tea, especially (-) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) for its effect on diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=15) were fed a green tea-free diet (control), $1.0\%$ green tea catechin (catechin) or $0.5\%$ green tea catechin EGCG for seven weeks. Hypercholesterolemia was induced by adding $1\%$ cholesterol and $0.5\%$ cholic acid to all diets. There was no difference in food intake and body weight gain among the groups. The green tea EGCG treatment led to a significant improvement in plasma levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and high density lipoprotein (HDL)/LDL ratio (p<0.05). There was no significant effect on the plasma HDL-cholesterol level. The catechin treatment led to a 4.19-fold increase in the LDL-receptor mRNA level compared to the control, but the EGCG treatment did not affect the hepatic LDL-receptor mRNA level. Our results suggest that when blood cholesterol level is down-regulated by green tea EGCG, the LDL receptor gene-independent pathway may dominate the hypocholesterolemic action of EGCG.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.117-123
• /
• 2002

The five main green tea catechin components such as (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate were analyzed quantitatively from commercial green tea by HPLC. Amounts of catechins decreased in the following order : (+)-catechin > (-)-epigallocatechin gallate >(-)-epigallocatechin >(-)-epicatechin >(-)-epicatechin gallate. In this study, the stability of the following green tea catechins to pH in the range from 3 to 11 was studied using of ultraviolet spectroscopy : (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate. This study demonstrated that green tea catechins were not stable at high pH and that the pH-, and time-dependent spectral alternatives were not reversible In conclusion, low pH is important to maintain the efficient utilization of green tea catechins.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.753-756
• /
• 2004

The effect of far-infrared (FIR) treatment on total flavanols contents and catechin composition of green tea were determined by vanillin spectroscopic and HPLC methods. Total flavanols content of green tea increased from 145 mg/g to 160 mg/g after FIR treatment for 10 min, but decreased from 146 to 90 mg/g after FIR treatment for 20 min. Among nine catechins of green tea, epicatechin derivatives decreased continuously with treatment time of FIR, while catechin derivatives increased up to 10 min and decreased to 20 min. These results indicate that FIR treatment exerting appreciable influence on catechin content of green tea may be useful as one of processing method improving quality of green tea.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.55-61
• /
• 2008

This study was conducted to compare the nutrient and chemical contents of traditional Chungtaejeon tea with that of green tea which was harvested in Jangheung, Jeonnam district. Vitamin C, amino acids and total nitrogen contents of Chungtaejeon tea were lower than that of green tea by 0.30, 2.30 and 4.20g/100g, respectively. The tannin, caffeine, reducing sugar and chlorophyll contents in Chungtaejeon tea were the same as those in green tea. Comparing catechin contents, catechin (C), epicatechin (EC), and epigallocatechin (EGC) in Chungtaejeon tea were lower than those of green tea. However, gallocatechin (GC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and catechin gallate (CG) showed no significant difference between Chungtaejeon tea and green tea. The flavonoid contents of Chungtaejeon tea and green tea showed higher quercetin and kaempferol contents in green tea, and higher myricetin content in Chungtaejeon tea. The measured amino acid contents for threonine and aspartic acid were lower, and for glutamic acid were higher in Chungtaejeon tea compared with those in green tea. However, free amino acid content in Chungtaejeon tea and green tea showed no significant difference. Potassium and magnesium contents in Chungtaejeon tea were lower compared to green tea but no significant difference was found for iron, manganese or calcium contents when comparing the two teas.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.1580-1584
• /
• 2005

Antioxidative activities of catechin from green tea extracts were examined by the methods of 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) electron donating ability, hydroxy scavenging activity and the inhibitory effect on xanthine oxidase activity. The resulted demonstrated the fact that Catechin one (containing Green tea extracts plus catechin 51%) of green tea extracts product showed at 65.5% in electron donating activity on the DPPH. The electron donating ability on the DPPH of Catechin one was increased to 10% than purified catechin. Catechin one showed the activity at 64.5% in scavenging activity using hydroxy radical method. To the Catechin one provided to increase the hydroxy scavenging activity up to 3 fold. Inhibitory effects of the catechin one measured with xanthine oxidase method was 6.5%. Although the antioxidative activity of catechin (98% purified) was lower than that of Catechin one (containing Green tea extracts plus catechin 51%) in same catechin concentrations ($5{\mu}g$, respectively). Therefore, we may suggest that Catechin one can be used as a functional food additive possessing the potent antioxidative activity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.386-389
• /
• 1992

The four main tea catechin components (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC) , (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECg), and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) were analyzed quantitatively from commerical green teas by HPLC. CATechin of the most amounts in steamed and parched teas was EGcg (steamed 1st : 7.54% , parched 1st : 7.88%). Amounts of catechins decreased in the following order : EGCg > EGC>ECg>EC. Almost same tendency of catechin components change of 1st tea and 2nd tea differed to harvesting time being observed in steamed and parched teas. In 2nd tea, amounts of EGCg increased more than in 1st tea. It seems that this change effects on the quality of tea taste.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.243-249
• /
• 2011

This study investigated the physiological and antioxidant activities of green, oolong, and black tea extracts. The crude catechin extract yields of green, oolong, and black tea were 4.9%, 3.4%, and 2.5%, respectively. Total phenol contents of green, oolong, and black tea were 40.9%, 43.0%, and 38.5%, respectively. The order of the electron donating abilities of green, oolong and black tea were green tea>oolong tea>black tea extracts. The SOD-like activities of green, oolong and black tea extracts at 5,000 ppm were 21.2%, 17.5% and 13.9%, respectively. The nitrite-scavenging abilities of green, oolong and black tea extracts were higher than that of ascorbic acid (p<0.05). Antioxidant activities in soybean oil substrates at 500 ppm were in the order of green tea>oolong tea>black tea${\geq}$BHT (200 ppm). Therefore these results showed that the physiological and antioxidant activities of green tea were better than those of oolong and black tea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.47-51
• /
• 2004

Green tea, which is high in polyphenols, is thought to have hypocholesterolemic effects. The present study was performed to further elucidate the hypocholesterolemic actions of green tea, specially the catechin and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) for their effects on the diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with green tea-free diet (control), diets containing 4% green tea powder (GTP), 1.0% green tea catechin (catechin) or 0.5% epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) for 7 wks. All diets that were provided green tea contained approximately 0.5% EGCG Hypercholesterolemia was induced by adding 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid to all diets. There were no differences in food intake among groups. The green tea treatments showed significant improvement in the serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerides and atherogenic index in the following order; EGCG>Catechin>GTP (p<0.05). The serum HDL-cholesterol level was highest in the EGCG-treated group. The catechin or EGCG diet up-regulated by 5 times the enzyme activity of hepatic cholesterol 7$\alpha$ -hydroxylase (CYP7Al) compared to control diet (p<0.05). Hepatic CYP7Al mRNA level paralleled tile increases in the CYP7Al activity. These results suggest that the EGCG in the green tea may account for the hypocholesterolemic effect by the induction of CYP7Al gene expression.