Theaflavins(TFs) are the dimers of a couple of epimerized catechins,which are specially formed during black tea fermentation.To explore the differences among four main TF derivatives(theaflavin(TF 1),theaflavin3-gallate(TF 2 A),theaflavin-3'-gallate(TF 2 B),and theaflavin-3,3'-digallate(TF 3)) in scavenging reactive oxygen species(ROS) in vitro,their properties of inhibiting superoxide,singlet oxygen,hydrogen peroxide,and the hydroxyl radical,and their effects on hydroxyl radical-induced DNA oxidative damage were systematically analyzed in the present study.The results show that,compared with()-epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG),TF derivatives were good antioxidants for scavenging ROS and preventing the hydroxyl radical-induced DNA damage in vitro.TF 3 was the most positive in scavenging hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical,and TF 1 suppressed superoxide.Positive antioxidant capacities of TF 2 B on singlet oxygen,hydrogen peroxide,hydroxyl radical,and the hydroxyl radical-induced DNA damage in vitro were found.The differences between the antioxidant capacities of four main TF derivatives in relation to their chemical structures were also discussed.We suggest that these activity differences among TF derivatives would be beneficial to scavenge different ROS with therapeutic potential.
Tea polyphenols have been shown to have anticancer activity in many studies.In the present study,we investigated effects of theaflavin-3-3'-digallate(TF3),one of the major theaflavin monomers in black tea,in combination with ascorbic acid(AA),a reducing agent,and(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate(EGCG),the main polyphenol presented in green tea,in combination with AA on cellular viability and cell cycles of the human lung adenocarcinoma SPC-A-1 cells.The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay showed that the 50% inhibition concentrations(IC50) of TF3,EGCG,and AA on SPC-A-1 cells were 4.78,4.90,and 30.62 μmol/L,respectively.The inhibitory rates of TF3 combined with AA(TF3+AA) and EGCG combined with AA(EGCG+AA) at a molar ratio of 1:6 on SPC-A-1 cells were 54.4% and 45.5%,respectively.Flow cytometry analysis showed that TF3+AA and EGCG+AA obviously increased the cell population in the G0/G1 phase of the SPC-A-1 cell cycle from 53.9% to 62.8% and 60.0%,respectively.TF3-treated cells exhibited 65.3% of the G0/G1 phase at the concentration of its IC50.Therefore,TF3+AA and EGCG+AA had synergistic inhibition effects on the proliferation of SPC-A-1 cells,and significantly held SPC-A-1 cells in G0/G1 phase.The results suggest that the combination of TF3 with AA or EGCG with AA enhances their anticancer activity.
