Antioxidant and hepatoprotective effect of (-)-epigallocatechin 3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate (EGCG3″Me) from Chinese oolong tea

J Agric Food Chem. 2014 Oct 15;62(41):10046-54. doi: 10.1021/jf5016335. Epub 2014 Oct 6.

Abstract

(-)-Epigallocatechin 3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate (EGCG3″Me) has exhibited various biological activities in oolong tea. However, little information about its hepatoprotective activity is available. The objectives of the present study, therefore, were to determine the hepatoprotective activity of EGCG3″Me. First, high-purity EGCG3″Me was prepared from Chinese oolong tea by column chromatography. In antioxidant assay in vitro, EGCG3″Me exhibited potential antioxidant activity. For hepatoprotective activity in vitro, it was observed that EGCG3″Me effectively alleviated the changes induced by alcohol in a concentration-dependent manner. For hepatoprotective activity in vivo, the administration of EGCG3″Me at a dose of 100 mg/kg BW per day significantly decreased the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) from 64.6 ± 3.17 and 97.6 ± 3.78 to 39.6 ± 2.72 and 59.6 ± 3.02 U/L, decreased the liver level of malondialdehyde (MDA) from 1.14 ± 0.08 to 0.77 ± 0.03 nmol/mg protein, and remarkably restored the liver activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) from 247 ± 20.1 U/mg and 6.12 ± 0.17 nmol/mg protein to 261 ± 9.98 U/mg and 8.10 ± 0.03 nmol/mg protein, respectively, in alcohol-induced liver injury mice. This suggested that the protective effect of EGCG3″Me against alcohol-induced liver injury is possibly via its antioxidant activity to protect biological systems against oxidative stress.

Keywords: EGCG3″Me; antioxidant activity; hepatoprotective effect; oolong tea.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alanine Transaminase / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / metabolism*
  • Aspartate Aminotransferases / metabolism
  • Ethanol / adverse effects
  • Ethanol / metabolism
  • Gallic Acid / analogs & derivatives*
  • Gallic Acid / metabolism
  • Glutathione Peroxidase / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Liver / enzymology
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / diet therapy*
  • Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / metabolism
  • Male
  • Malondialdehyde / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / metabolism*
  • Superoxide Dismutase / metabolism
  • Tea / chemistry
  • Tea / metabolism

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Plant Extracts
  • Tea
  • Ethanol
  • Malondialdehyde
  • Gallic Acid
  • Glutathione Peroxidase
  • Superoxide Dismutase
  • Aspartate Aminotransferases
  • Alanine Transaminase
  • epigallocatechin-3-O-(3''-O-methyl)-gallate