PROTEIN PRECIPITATION BY TEA POLYPHENOLS, IN-SILICO ANALYSIS OF ITS BIOAVAILABILITY, AND BINDING TO SARS-COV-2

Abstract

This study is undertaken to see precipitation of protein non-specifically by tannin in tea, a plant secondary metabolite. Tannins that are present as a part of the defense system of the plant get oxidized to its quinone/semiquinone state and readily react with protein to form a precipitate. In this study, we have estimated the polyphenol content of Assam tea which was decreased by 9.33% due to the precipitation reaction with BSA. We have visualized the precipitation of protein by tannin/polyphenol. In our studies, we have tried to remove highly reactive or protein precipitating polyphenols from ready-to-drink black tea with the help of charcoal beads. Bioavailability, including absorption, metabolism, distribution, and excretion of different types of tea polyphenols in the human body have been assessed using bioinformatics methods. Polyphenols are high molecular weight compounds and are less absorbable through the GI tract. We have also analyzed the binding affinity of 24 tea molecules to spike glycoprotein of SARS -CoV-2.