Multi-omics analysis to visualize the dynamic roles of defense genes in the response of tea plants to gray blight.

Gray blight (GB) is one of the most destructive diseases of tea plants, causing considerable damage and productivity losses; however, the dynamic roles of defense genes during pathogen infection remain largely unclear. To explore the numerous molecular interactions associated with GB stress in tea plants, we employed transcriptome, sRNAome and degradome sequencing from 1 to 13 days post-inoculation (dpi) at 3-day intervals. The transcriptomics results showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to flavonoid synthesis, such as chalcone synthase (CHS) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), were particularly induced at 4 dpi. Consistent with this, the contents of catechins (especially gallocatechin), which are the dominant flavonoids in tea plants, also increased in the leaves of tea plants infected with GB. Combined analysis of the sRNAome and degradome revealed that microRNAs could mediate tea plant immunity by regulating DEG expression at the post-transcriptional level. Co-expression network analysis demonstrated that miR530b-ethylene responsive factor 96 (ERF96) and miRn211-thaumatin-like protein (TLP) play crucial roles in the response to GB. Accordingly, gene-specific antisense oligonucleotide assays suggested that suppressing ERF96 decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), whereas suppressing TLP increased the levels of ROS. Furthermore, ERF96 was induced, but TLP was suppressed, in susceptible tea cultivars. Our results collectively demonstrate that ERF96 is a negative regulator and TLP is a positive regulator in the response of tea plants to GB. Taken together, our comprehensive integrated analysis reveals a dynamic regulatory network linked to GB stress in tea plants and provides candidate genes for improvement of tea plants.

A functional molecular marker for detecting blister blight disease resistance in tea (Camellia sinensis L.).

KEY MESSAGE: Identification of an EST-SSR molecular marker associated with Blister blight, a common fungal disease of tea, facilitating marker-assisted selection, marking a milestone in tea molecular breeding. lister blight (BB) leaf disease of tea, caused by the fungus Exobasidium vexans, results in 25-30% crop loss annually. BB is presently controlled by Cu based fungicides, but genetic resistance is the most viable option in disease management. Tea is a naturally out-crossing, woody perennial necessitating a long time for completion of a breeding programme. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is vital to expedite breeding programmes and also for better accuracy in gene identification. The aim of the current research was to derive marker-trait associations using an F1 population segregating for BB. The population was genotyped at 11 expressed sequence tag simple sequence repeat loci followed by detecting the alleles by fragment analysis. The genotypic and phenotypic data were subjected to single-marker analysis resulting in the identification of EST-SSR073 as a diagnostic marker amplifying three alleles of the sizes, 168, 170 and 190 bp in F1. Of them, alleles 190 and 168 bp were confirmed to concur BB resistance and susceptibility, respectively. The alleles were validated in a panel of 64 tea cultivars, resulting in the amplification of 12 alleles at EST-SSR073. The EST-SSR073 allele sequences matched with Camellia sinensis photosystem-I reaction center subunit-II. The marker EST-SSR073 can be effectively used in breeding tea against BB, recording a milestone in MAS in tea.

Evaluation of plant growth promotion properties and induction of antioxidative defense mechanism by tea rhizobacteria of Darjeeling, India.

A total of 120 rhizobacteria were isolated from seven different tea estates of Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. Based on a functional screening of in vitro plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities, thirty potential rhizobacterial isolates were selected for in-planta evaluation of PGP activities in rice and maize crops. All the thirty rhizobacterial isolates were identified using partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Out of thirty rhizobacteria, sixteen (53.3%) isolates belong to genus Bacillus, five (16.6%) represent genus Staphylococcus, three (10%) represent genus Ochrobactrum, and one (3.3%) isolate each belongs to genera Pseudomonas, Lysinibacillus, Micrococcus, Leifsonia, Exiguobacterium, and Arthrobacter. Treatment of rice and maize seedlings with these thirty rhizobacterial isolates resulted in growth promotion. Besides, rhizobacterial treatment in rice triggered enzymatic [ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), chitinase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL)], and non-enzymatic [proline and polyphenolics] antioxidative defense reactions indicating their possible role in the reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) burden and thereby priming of plants towards stress mitigation. To understand such a possibility, we tested the effect of rhizobacterial consortia on biotic stress tolerance of rice against necrotrophic fungi, Rhizoctonia solani AG1-IA. Our results indicated that the pretreatment with rhizobacterial consortia increased resistance of the rice plants towards the common foliar pathogen like R. solani AG1-IA. This study supports the idea of the application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial consortia in sustainable crop practice through the management of biotic stress under field conditions.

Comparative transcriptomic analysis of resistant and susceptible tea cultivars in response to Empoasca onukii (Matsuda) damage.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Transcriptomic studies in resistant and susceptible tea cultivars have been performed to reveal the different defense molecular mechanisms of tea after E. onukii feeding. The molecular mechanism by which tea plants respond to small green leafhopper Empoasca onukii (Matsuda) damage is unclear. Using the resistant tea plant cultivar Juyan (JY) and the susceptible tea plant cultivar Enbiao (EB) as materials, this study performed RNA-seq on tea leaf samples collected at three time points (6 h, 12 h, 24 h) during exposure of the plants to leafhopper to reveal the molecular mechanisms that are activated in susceptible and resistant tea plant cultivars in response to leafhopper damage. The numbers of DEGs in the susceptible tea cultivar during early (6 h) and late (24 h) stages of leafhopper induction were higher than those in the resistant cultivar at the same time points. The stress responses to leafhopper were most intense at 12 h in both tea cultivars. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that most up-regulated DEGs and their related metabolic pathways were similar in the two tea cultivars. However, during the early stage of leafhopper induction (6 h), jasmonic acid (JA)-related genes were significantly up-regulated in the resistant cultivar. The terpenoid biosynthetic pathway and the α-linolenic acid metabolic pathway were activated earlier in the resistant cultivar and remained activated until the late stage of leafhopper damage. Our results confirmed that after leafhopper damage, the resistant tea cultivar activated its defense responses earlier than the susceptible cultivar, and these defense responses were mainly related to terpenoid metabolism and JA biosynthetic pathway. The results provide important clues for further studies on resistance strategy of tea plants to pest.

JA-Ile-macrolactone 5b Induces Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis) Resistance to Both Herbivore Ectropis obliqua and Pathogen Colletotrichum camelliae.

Jasmonates (JAs), the group of lipid-derived hormones, were found to control the defense responses in a myriad of plants. Meaningfully, the macrolactones of 12-hydroxy jasmonate isoleucine (12OH-JA-Ile) were reported to induce the defensive response of wild tobacco. However, little to nothing has been known about the elicitation effect of JA-Ile-macrolactones on woody plants to harmful organisms, let alone its underlying mechanisms. Here, we first optimized the synthetic routine using mild toxic reagent isobutyl chloroformate instead of ethyl chloroformate for conjugation, and we used acetonitrile (MeCN) instead of ethyl alcohol for the better dissolution of p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH) to gain JA-Ile-macrolactones. JA-Ile-macrolactone 5b-treated tea plants significantly inhibited the larvae weight gain of Ectropis obliqua larvae and the lesions caused by Colletotrichum camelliae. Furthermore, the expression level of CsOPR3 was significantly upregulated in 5b-treated leaves. Meanwhile, 5b reduced the accumulation of eriodictyol 7-O-glucuronide (EDG) in tea plants, which was confirmed to promote the growth rate of E. obliqua larvae by artificial diet assay. In conclusion, our study proved that the exogenous application of 5b could induce the tea plant resistance both to herbivore E. obliqua and pathogen C. camelliae, and EDG was identified as one of the secondary metabolites that could influence the growth rate of E. obliqua, but it did not directly influence the infection of C. camelliae in vitro. Further research should be carried out to clarify the mechanism through which 5b induces tea plant resistance to C. camelliae.

Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals gene expression associated with cold adaptation in the tea plant Camellia sinensis.

BACKGROUND: Low temperature restricts the planting range of all crops, but cold acclimation induces adaption to cold stress in many plants. Camellia sinensis, a perennial evergreen tree that is the source of tea, is mainly grown in warm areas. Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (CSS) has greater cold tolerance than Camellia sinensis var. assamica (CSA). To gain deep insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying cold adaptation, we investigated the physiological responses and transcriptome profiles by RNA-Seq in two tea varieties, cold resistant SCZ (classified as CSS) and cold susceptible YH9 (classified as CSA), during cold acclimation. RESULTS: Under freezing stress, lower relative electrical conductivity and higher chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) values were detected in SCZ than in YH9 when subjected to freezing acclimation. During cold treatment, 6072 and 7749 DEGs were observed for SCZ and YH9, respectively. A total of 978 DEGs were common for both SCZ and YH9 during the entire cold acclimation process. DEGs were enriched in pathways of photosynthesis, hormone signal transduction, and transcriptional regulation of plant-pathogen interactions. Further analyses indicated that decreased expression of Lhca2 and higher expression of SnRK2.8 are correlated with cold tolerance in SCZ. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with CSA, CSS was significantly more resistant to freezing after cold acclimation, and this increased resistance was associated with an earlier expression of cold-induced genes. Because the greater transcriptional differentiation during cold acclimation in SCZ may contribute to its greater cold tolerance, our studies identify specific genes involved in photoinhibition, ABA signal conduction, and plant immunity that should be studied for understanding the processes involved in cold tolerance. Marker-assisted breeding focused on the allelic variation at these loci provides an avenue for the possible generation of CSA cultivars that have CSS-level cold tolerance.

Transcriptomic and Phytochemical Analyses Reveal Root-Mediated Resource-Based Defense Response to Leaf Herbivory by Ectropis oblique in Tea Plant ( Camellia sinensis).

Leaf herbivory on tea plants ( Camellia sinensis) by tea geometrids ( Ectropis oblique) severely threaten the yield and quality of tea. In previous work, we found that local defense response was induced in damaged leaves by geometrids at the transcriptome level. Here, we investigated the systemic response triggered in undamaged roots and the potential role of roots in response to leaf herbivory. Comparative transcriptome analysis and carbohydrate dynamics indicated that leaf herbivory activated systemic carbon reallocation to enhance resource investment for local secondary metabolism. The crucial role of jasmonic acid and the involvement of other potential hormone signals for local and systemic signaling networks were supported by phytohormone quantification and dynamic expression analysis of phytohormone-related genes. This work represents a deep understanding of the interaction of tea plants and geometrids from the perspective of systems biology and reveals that tea plants have evolved an intricate root-mediated resource-based resistance strategy to cope with geometrid attack.

Chitosan-induced immunity in Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze against blister blight disease is mediated by nitric-oxide.

Blister blight disease, caused by an obligate biotrophic fungal pathogen, Exobasidium vexans Massee is posing a serious threat for tea cultivation in Asia. As the use of chemical pesticides on tea leaves substantially increases the toxic risks of tea consumption, serious attempts are being made to control such pathogens by boosting the intrinsic natural defense responses against invading pathogens in tea plants. In this study, the nature and durability of resistance offered by chitosan and the possible mechanism of chitosan-induced defense induction in Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze plants against blister blight disease were investigated. Foliar application of 0.01% chitosan solution at 15 days interval not only reduced the blister blight incidence for two seasons, but also maintained the induced expressions of different defense related enzymes and total phenol content compared to the control. Defense responses induced by chitosan were found to be down regulated under nitric oxide (NO) deficient conditions in vivo, indicating that the observed chitosan-induced resistance is probably activated via NO signaling. Such role of NO in host defense response was further established by application of the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), which produced similar defense responses accomplished through chitosan treatment. Taken together, our results suggest that increased production of NO in chitosan-treated tea plants may play a critical role in triggering the innate defense responses effective against plant pathogens, including that causing the blister blight disease.

Decreased Biosynthesis of Jasmonic Acid via Lipoxygenase Pathway Compromised Caffeine-Induced Resistance to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Under Elevated CO2 in Tea Seedlings.

Caffeine, the major purine alkaloid in tea has long been known for its role in plant defense. However, its effect on Colletotrichum gloeosporioides that causes brown blight disease in tea is largely unknown especially under elevated CO2. Here we show that elevated CO2 reduced endogenous caffeine content in tea leaves, but sharply increased susceptibility of tea to C. gloeosporioides. The expression of C. gloeosporioides actin gene was gradually increased during the postinoculation period. In contrast, foliar application of caffeine decreased the C. gloeosporioides-induced necrotic lesions and the expression of C. gloeosporioides actin. Analysis of endogenous jasmonic acid (JA) content revealed that exogenous caffeine could induce JA content under both CO2 conditions in absence of fungal infection; however, in presence of fungal infection, caffeine increased JA content only under elevated CO2. Furthermore, exogenous caffeine enhanced lipoxygenase (LOX) activity and its biosynthetic gene expression under both CO2 conditions, indicating that increased JA biosynthesis via LOX pathway by caffeine might strengthen plant defense only under elevated CO2, while caffeine-induced defense under ambient CO2 might be associated with JA-independent LOX pathway in tea. These results provide novel insights into caffeine-induced plant defense mechanisms that might help to develop an eco-friendly approach for disease control.

Compounds Derived from Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) as a Novel Approach to the Prevention of Viral Infections.

Pathogenic viral infections pose major health risks to humans and livestock due to viral infection-associated illnesses such as chronic or acute inflammation in crucial organs and systems, malignant and benign lesions. These lead to large number of illnesses and deaths worldwide each year. Outbreaks of emerging lethal viruses, such as Ebola virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus, could lead to epidemics or even pandemics if they are not effectively controlled. Current strategies to prevent viral entry into the human body are focused on cleansing the surface of the skin that covers hands and fingers. Surface protection and disinfection against microorganisms, including viruses, is performed by sanitization of the skin surface through hand washing with soap and water, surface disinfectants, and hand sanitizers, particularly alcohol-based hand sanitizers. However, concerns about the overall ineffectiveness, toxicity of certain ingredients of disinfectants, pollution of the environment, and the short duration of antimicrobial activity of alcohol have not been addressed, and the epidemiology of certain major viral infections are not correlated inversely with the current measures of viral prevention. In addition to a short duration on the skin surface, alcohol is ineffective against certain viruses such as norovirus, rabies virus, and polio virus. There is a need for a novel approach to protect humans and livestock from infections of pathogenic viruses that is broadly effective, long-lasting (persistent), non-toxic, and environment-friendly. A strong candidate is a group of unique compounds found in Camellia sinensis (tea plant): the green tea polyphenols, in particular epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and its lipophilic derivatives. This review discussed the weaknesses of current hand sanitizers, gathered published results from many studies on the antiviral activities of EGCG and its lipophilic derivatives, and the potential use of these compounds as a novel strategy for disease prevention, especially against pathogenic viruses.

Chitosan nanoparticles: A positive modulator of innate immune responses in plants.

The immunomodulatory role of the natural biopolymer, chitosan, has already been demonstrated in plants, whilst its nanoparticles have only been examined for biomedical applications. In our present study, we have investigated the possible ability and mechanism of chitosan nanoparticles (CNP) to induce and augment immune responses in plants. CNP-treatment of leaves produced significant improvement in the plant's innate immune response through induction of defense enzyme activity, upregulation of defense related genes including that of several antioxidant enzymes as well as elevation of the levels of total phenolics. It is also possible that the extracellular localization of CNP may also play a role in the observed upregulation of defense response in plants. Nitric oxide (NO), an important signaling molecule in plant defense, was also observed to increase following CNP treatment. However, such CNP-mediated immuno-stimulation was significantly mitigated when NO production was inhibited, indicating a possible role of NO in such immune induction. Taken together, our results suggest that CNP may be used as a more effective phytosanitary or disease control agent compared to natural chitosan for sustainable organic cultivation.

Susceptibility against grey blight disease-causing fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. in tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) cultivars is influenced by anti-oxidative enzymes.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is the first level of response by a host during stress. Even though the ROS are toxic to cell, when present in a limited amount, they act as a signalling molecule for the expression of defence-related genes and later are scavenged by either enzymatic or non-enzymatic mechanisms of the host. The different anti-oxidative enzymes like glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APO), peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) were estimated, and their activities were compared between infected and healthy leaves of the tolerant and susceptible cultivars of tea. The infected leaves of the susceptible cultivars registered higher amount of enzyme activity when compared with the tolerant cultivars. The study reveals that the more anti-oxidative enzymes, the more susceptible the cultivar will be.

Suppressive subtractive hybridization approach revealed differential expression of hypersensitive response and reactive oxygen species production genes in tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) leaves during Pestalotiopsis thea infection.

Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) is an economically important plant cultivated for its leaves. Infection of Pestalotiopsis theae in leaves causes gray blight disease and enormous loss to the tea industry. We used suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique to unravel the differential gene expression pattern during gray blight disease development in tea. Complementary DNA from P. theae-infected and uninfected leaves of disease tolerant cultivar UPASI-10 was used as tester and driver populations respectively. Subtraction efficiency was confirmed by comparing abundance of ß-actin gene. A total of 377 and 720 clones with insert size >250 bp from forward and reverse library respectively were sequenced and analyzed. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool analysis revealed 17 sequences in forward SSH library have high degree of similarity with disease and hypersensitive response related genes and 20 sequences with hypothetical proteins while in reverse SSH library, 23 sequences have high degree of similarity with disease and stress response-related genes and 15 sequences with hypothetical proteins. Functional analysis indicated unknown (61 and 59 %) or hypothetical functions (23 and 18 %) for most of the differentially regulated genes in forward and reverse SSH library, respectively, while others have important role in different cellular activities. Majority of the upregulated genes are related to hypersensitive response and reactive oxygen species production. Based on these expressed sequence tag data, putative role of differentially expressed genes were discussed in relation to disease. We also demonstrated the efficiency of SSH as a tool in enriching gray blight disease related up- and downregulated genes in tea. The present study revealed that many genes related to disease resistance were suppressed during P. theae infection and enhancing these genes by the application of inducers may impart better disease tolerance to the plants.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis associated with inhalation of catechin-rich green tea extracts.

A 51-year-old man presented with fever and fatigue after 3.5 months of antituberculosis therapy. High-resolution computed tomography of his chest revealed new ground-glass opacities and poorly defined centrilobular nodules. He had undergone catechin inhalation for 1 month. We diagnosed hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) based on the clinical course, bronchoscopy and a challenge test. Cases of HP due to inhalation of extracted catechin powder are rare. Although it has many known positive attributes, it is necessary to be aware that catechin can cause HP.

The green tea polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits leukocyte activation by bacterial formylpeptide through the receptor FPR.

Although green tea polyphenol catechin is considered as a potential anti-inflammatory agent, its effect on bacterial component-induced inflammation has been poorly investigated. We examined the capacity of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) to regulate leukocyte responses to bacterial chemotactic peptide N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLF), which is recognized by a human G protein-coupled receptor FPR on phagocytic leukocytes. Pretreatment of human monocytic cells or FPR-transfected rat basophilic leukemia cells (ETFR cells) with EGCG significantly inhibited fMLF-induced chemotaxis. Intraperitoneal administration of EGCG in mice suppressed fMLF-induced leukocyte infiltration into the air pouch created in the skin. Mechanistic studies revealed that EGCG dose-dependently suppressed fMLF-induced calcium flux in monocytic cells and ETFR cells. fMLF-induced ETFR cell migration was significantly inhibited by a specific MEK1/2 inhibitor, PD98059, which was associated with reduction in fMLF-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation. These results suggest that EGCG inhibits FPR-mediated leukocyte activation thus is a promising anti-inflammatory compound.

Insect pests of tea and their management.

Globally, 1031 species of arthropods are associated with the intensively managed tea Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze monoculture. All parts of the plant, leaf, stem, root, flower, and seed, are fed upon by at least one pest species, resulting in an 11%-55% loss in yield if left unchecked. There has been heavy use of organosynthetic pesticides since the 1950s to defend the plant against these pests, leading to rapid conversion of innocuous species into pests, development of resistance, and undesirable pesticide residues in made tea. As a result of importer and consumer concerns, pesticide residues have become a major problem for the tea industry. Integrated pest management (IPM) may help to overcome the overuse of pesticides and subsequent residues. We review the advances made in our understanding of the biology and ecology of major insect and mite pests of tea, host plant resistance, cultural practices, biocontrol measures, and need-based application of botanicals and safer pesticides to understand the present status of IPM and to identify future challenges to improvement.

Serological detection and immunogold localization of cross-reactive antigens shared by Camellia sinensis and Exobasidium vexans.

AIMS: Pathogenicity of Exobasidium vexans, causal agent of blister blight of tea, was studied in 30 commercially cultivated tea varieties by analysing the antigenic patterns of host and pathogen using immunological techniques. METHODS AND RESULTS: Whole plant inoculation of tea varieties with E. vexans showed that T-78 and T-17/1/54 were most susceptible and most resistant respectively. Antigen preparations from tea varieties, pathogen, nonpathogen (Fusarium oxysporum) and of nonhosts (Glycine max, Leucaena leucocephala and Oryza sativa) were compared by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and dot-immunobinding assay using polyclonal antibodies raised against the pathogen, nonpathogen, susceptible and resistant tea varieties. Cross-reactive antigens (CRA) were found among susceptible varieties and E. vexans isolates but not in resistant varieties, nonhosts or nonpathogen. Indirect staining of antibodies using fluorescein isothiocyanate indicated CRA were concentrated mainly around epidermal and mesophyll cells in compatible host (T-78). This was substantiated by ultrastructural studies using gold-labelled antibodies through transmission electron microscopy which showed specific localization in the chloroplasts and host cytoplasm. CONCLUSION: Pathogenicity of E. vexans to different tea varieties is therefore related to the level of antigenic similarity between host and pathogen. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Immunological methods proved to be valuable in screening commercially cultivated tea varieties against E. vexans.

Plant growth promotion and induction of resistance in Camellia sinensis by Bacillus megaterium.

Bacillus megaterium DE BARY TRS-4 was isolated from tea rhizosphere and tested for its ability to promote growth and cause disease reduction in tea plants. In vivo studies revealed the ability of this bacterium to promote growth of tea plants very significantly. Brown root rot disease, caused by Fomes lamaoensis was markedly reduced by application of the bacterium to the soil. Population of F. lamaoensis in soil before and after application of B. megaterium, as determined by ELISA and dot-blot using PAb raised against the pathogen, was shown to be greatly reduced in presence of the bacterium. Biochemical changes induced in tea plants were also examined. Root colonization by B. megaterium and subsequent inoculation with F. lamaoensis also led to an increase in polyphenolics, as well as in defense related enzymes-peroxidase, chitinase, beta -1,3-glucanase and phenyl alanine ammonia lyase. Determination of mechanism of action of this bacterium revealed it to be able to solubilize phosphate, produce IAA, siderophore and antifungal metabolite. The plant growth promotion and reduction of disease intensity have been shown to be due to a combination of several mechanisms.

Efectos del extracto de té verde sobre los daños oxidativos inducidos por cisplatino en riñones y testículos de ratas / Effect of green tea extract on cisplatin induced oxidative damage on kidney and testes of rats

Se administró extracto de té verde (Camellia sinensis) por vía oral a las ratas en dosis de 25, 50 y 100 mg/kg para investigar sus efectos sobre la nefrotoxicidad y la toxicidad testicular inducida por cisplatino (3mg/kg). El extracto de té verde restauró el nivel de creatinina, urea, nitrógeno ureico en sangre (NUS) y ácido úrico en el suero de animales tratados con cisplatino en comparación con los animales tratados sólo con cisplatino. Además, se observó que la administración de extracto de té verde restauró los niveles de enzimas antioxidantes como superóxido dismutasa (SOD), catalasa (CAT) y glutatión reducido (GSH), y enzimas ligadas a la membrana como Na Na+K+ATPasa, Ca Ca2+ 2+ ATPasa y Mg Mg2+ 2+ ATPasa y redujo la peroxidación lipídica (MDA) en los riñones y en los testículos de animales con alteraciones tras el tratamiento crónico con cisplatino. Por tanto, se puede concluir que el extracto de té verde posee actividad antioxidante y que, en virtud de esta acción, puede proteger los riñones y los testículos frente a los daños oxidativos inducidos por el cisplatino

Green tea extract (Camellia sinensis) was administered orally to rats at the dose levels of 25, 50,100 mg/kg to investigate its effect on cisplatin (3mg/kg) induced nephrotoxicity and testicular toxicity. Green tea extract restored the level of creatinine, urea, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and uric acid in serum of animals treated with cisplatin as compared to the animals treated with cisplatin alone. It was further found that administration of green tea extract restored the level of antioxidant enzymes such as, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH), and membrane bound enzymes like Na Na+K+ ATPase, Ca Ca2+ 2+ ATPase and Mg Mg2+ 2+ ATPase and decreased lipid peroxidation (MDA) in kidney and in testes of animals which were altered after chronic treatment with cisplatin. Thus it can be concluded that green tea extract possesses antioxidant activity and by virtue of this action it can protect the kidney and testes from cisplatin induced oxidative damage