Abstract
White peony is a type of white tea (Camellia sinensis) rich in polyphenols. In this study, polyphenols were extracted from white peony. In vitro experiments showed that white peony polyphenols (WPPs) possess strong free radical scavenging capabilities toward 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). Long-term alcohol gavage was used to induce alcoholic liver injury in mice, and relevant indices of liver injury were examined. WPPs effectively reduced the liver indices of mice with liver injury. The serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (ATS), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were downregulated, while those of albumin (ALB), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were upregulated. WPPs also reduced the serum levels of interluekin-6 (IL-6), interluekin-12 (IL-12), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in mice with liver injury. Pathology results showed that WPPs reduced alcohol-induced liver cell damage. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot results revealed that WPPs upregulated the mRNA and protein expressions of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), cupro–zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), and CAT and downregulated iNOS expression in the liver of mice with liver injury. WPPs protected against alcoholic liver injury, and this effect was equivalent to that of silymarin. High-performance liquid chromatography revealed that WPPs mainly contained the polyphenols gallic acid, catechinic acid, and hyperoside, which are critical for exerting preventive effects against alcoholic liver injury. Thus, WPPs are high-quality natural products with liver protective effects.
Highlights
White tea is a slightly fermented tea and is one of the six major teas in China
We investigated the effect of white peony containing polyphenols on alcoholic liver injury, examining its ability to regulate oxidative stress in mice
A white peony polyphenol (WPP) extract was obtained by evaporating the alcohol in a rotary evaporator
Summary
The raw material of white tea is the bud tip of the tea plant. White tea is light green and covered with frost. Its green leaves contain silver and white hearts in a flower shape. The green leaves retain the buds and look like peony blossoms, which suggested the name white peony [2]. It cools the body, moistens the lungs, benefits the blood, has anti-inflammatory and detoxification effects, reduces blood pressure and fat, and decreases tiredness [3,4,5]. The polyphenols in white tea can protect the liver, accelerate the decomposition of the alcohol metabolite acetaldehyde, generate nontoxic substances, and reduce damage to liver cells
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