Abstract
BackgroundGreen tea has various health promotion effects. Although there are numerous tea cultivars, little is known about the differences in their nutraceutical properties. Metabolic profiling techniques can provide information on the relationship between the metabolome and factors such as phenotype or quality. Here, we performed metabolomic analyses to explore the relationship between the metabolome and health-promoting attributes (bioactivity) of diverse Japanese green tea cultivars.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe investigated the ability of leaf extracts from 43 Japanese green tea cultivars to inhibit thrombin-induced phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). This thrombin-induced phosphorylation is a potential hallmark of vascular endothelial dysfunction. Among the tested cultivars, Cha Chuukanbohon Nou-6 (Nou-6) and Sunrouge (SR) strongly inhibited MRLC phosphorylation. To evaluate the bioactivity of green tea cultivars using a metabolomics approach, the metabolite profiles of all tea extracts were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Multivariate statistical analyses, principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), revealed differences among green tea cultivars with respect to their ability to inhibit MRLC phosphorylation. In the SR cultivar, polyphenols were associated with its unique metabolic profile and its bioactivity. In addition, using partial least-squares (PLS) regression analysis, we succeeded in constructing a reliable bioactivity-prediction model to predict the inhibitory effect of tea cultivars based on their metabolome. This model was based on certain identified metabolites that were associated with bioactivity. When added to an extract from the non-bioactive cultivar Yabukita, several metabolites enriched in SR were able to transform the extract into a bioactive extract.Conclusions/SignificanceOur findings suggest that metabolic profiling is a useful approach for nutraceutical evaluation of the health promotion effects of diverse tea cultivars. This may propose a novel strategy for functional food design.
Highlights
Natural products derived from medicinal plants are an abundant source of biologically active compounds, many of which have formed the basis for development of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals [1]
To test bioactivity we investigated the ability of leaf extracts to inhibit thrombininduced myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), as a potential hallmark of vascular endothelial dysfunction
We examined the effects of extracts from 43 cultivars of Japanese green tea (Table 1) on thrombin-induced MRLC phosphorylation in HUVECs by western blot analysis
Summary
Natural products derived from medicinal plants are an abundant source of biologically active compounds, many of which have formed the basis for development of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals [1]. Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is a popular beverage worldwide, and because of its possible health effects, it has received considerable attention as a medicinal herb [2]. There are three main types of tea, which differ according to the fermentation process; green (unfermented), oolong (semi-fermented), and black (fermented). The chemical components of tea vary according to species/cultivar, environment, growth, storage conditions, and leaf quality [6]. The quality and bioactive functions (i.e., the health promotion effects in human and animal models) of tea are defined by their specific compositions. Green tea has various health promotion effects. There are numerous tea cultivars, little is known about the differences in their nutraceutical properties. We performed metabolomic analyses to explore the relationship between the metabolome and health-promoting attributes (bioactivity) of diverse Japanese green tea cultivars
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