Crude Tieguanyin oolong tea polysaccharides regulate intestinal immune and gut microflora in dextran sulfate sodium-induced mice colitis.

BACKGROUND: The global incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) have been increasing. Epidemiological studies, clinical trials, and animal experiments have indicated a negative association between the consumption of tea and IBD. This study aims to investigate the protective effects of crude Tieguanyin oolong tea polysaccharides (CTPS) on experimental colitis, while also exploring the underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: The administration of CTPS significantly alleviated IBD in the mouse model, and was found to regulate T-cell mediated immune responses in the colon by modulating cytokine production associated with T cells. Furthermore, CTPS demonstrated a positive impact on the gut microbiota, reversing the increase in pathogenic Helicobacter and enhancing the relative abundances of beneficial bacteria such as Akkermansia, Lachnospiraceae, and Odoribacter. Oral administration of CTPS also led to an improvement in intestinal metabolism, specifically by increasing the levels of short-chain fatty acids. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first in vivo evidence of the protective effects of CTPS on colitis in mice. The effects are likely facilitated through the regulation of T cell-mediated responses and modulation of the gut microbiota, suggesting that CTPS may be a potential preventive and therapeutic approach for IBD. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Yellow tea: more than turning green leaves to yellow.

Yellow tea (YT), a slightly-fermented tea originated from Ming Dynasty with distinctive "Three yellows," mild-sweet smell, and mellow taste attributed to the unique yellowing process. Based on current literature and our previous work, we aim to comprehensively illustrate the key processing procedures, characteristic chemical compounds, health benefits and applications, as well as the interlocking relationships among them. Yellowing is the most vital procedure anchored on the organoleptic quality, characteristic chemical components, and bioactivities of YT, which is influenced by temperature, moisture content, duration, and ventilation conditions. Pheophorbides, carotenoids, thearubigins and theabrownins are the major pigments contributing to the "three yellows" appearance. Alcohols, such as terpinol and nerol, are attributed to the refreshing and sweet aroma of bud and small-leaf YT, while heterocyclics and aromatics forming during roasting result in the crispy rice-like large-leaf YT. Hygrothermal effects and enzymatic reactions during yellowing result in the decline of astringent substances. Meanwhile, multiple bioactive compounds such as catechins, ellagitannins, and vitexin, endow YT with antioxidant, anti-metabolic syndrome, anti-cancer, gut microbiota regulation, and organ injury protection effects. Future studies focusing on the standard yellowing process technology, quality evaluation system, and functional factors and mechanisms, possible orientations, and perspectives are guaranteed.

A systemic review on Liubao tea: A time-honored dark tea with distinctive raw materials, process techniques, chemical profiles, and biological activities.

Liubao tea (LBT) is a unique microbial-fermented tea that boasts a long consumption history spanning 1500 years. Through a specific post-fermentation process, LBT crafted from local tea cultivars in Liubao town Guangxi acquires four distinct traits, namely, vibrant redness, thickness, aging aroma, and purity. The intricate transformations that occur during post-fermentation involve oxidation, degradation, methylation, glycosylation, and so forth, laying the substance foundation for the distinctive sensory traits. Additionally, LBT contains multitudinous bioactive compounds, such as ellagic acid, catechins, polysaccharides, and theabrownins, which contributes to the diverse modulation abilities on oxidative stress, metabolic syndromes, organic damage, and microbiota flora. However, research on LBT is currently scattered, and there is an urgent need for a systematical recapitulation of the manufacturing process, the dominant microorganisms during fermentation, the dynamic chemical alterations, the sensory traits, and the underlying health benefits. In this review, current research progresses on the peculiar tea varieties, the traditional and modern process technologies, the substance basis of sensory traits, and the latent bioactivities of LBT were comprehensively summarized. Furthermore, the present challenges and deficiencies that hinder the development of LBT, and the possible orientations and future perspectives were thoroughly discussed. By far, the productivity and quality of LBT remain restricted due to the reliance on labor and experience, as well as the incomplete understanding of the intricate interactions and underlying mechanisms involved in processing, organoleptic quality, and bioactivities. Consequently, further research is urgently warranted to address these gaps.

Sensory-Guided Identification and Characterization of Kokumi-Tasting Compounds in Green Tea (Camellia sinensis L.).

The chemical substances responsible for the kokumi taste of green tea infusion are still unclear. Here, we isolated the kokumi compound-containing fractions from green tea infusion through ultrafiltration, and the major kokumi compounds were characterized as γ-Glu-Gln and γ-Glu-Cys-Gly (GSH) through ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). The results indicated that peptides and amino acids were essential compounds in the kokumi-enriched fractions for conducting the sense of kokumi. L-theanine had an enhancing effect on the kokumi taste of green tea infusion, which was confirmed in the sensory reconstitution study. Thus, peptides, especially γ-Glu-Gln and GSH, are the major kokumi compounds in green tea infusion, which has the potential of improving the flavor of tea beverages.

Influence of Various Tea Utensils on Sensory and Chemical Quality of Different Teas.

The choice of tea utensils used for brewing significantly impacts the sensory and chemical attributes of tea. In order to assess the influence of various tea sets on the flavor and chemical composition of different tea varieties, a combination of sensory evaluation and high-performance liquid chromatography was employed. The results showed that the content of amino acids in the tea liquid brewed with tin tea utensils was relatively higher, which could exhibit freshness in taste, thus suitable for brewing green tea and white tea. The content of polyphenols, soluble carbohydrates, and water extract in the tea liquid brewed with a porcelain tea set was relatively higher; the sweetness and thickness of the tea liquid were increased, so it was more beneficial to brew black tea. The purple sand tea set was suitable for brewing oolong tea and dark tea, and could endow their respective quality characteristics. Ultimately, these research findings provide a scientific basis for the selection of tea utensils tailored to different types of tea.

Flowering in aged white tea: Recovering umami taste and amplifying of stale aroma.

Throughout the natural aging process from new to aged white tea, the flavor evolves into a 'stale flavor', despite the initial umami diminishes. The flowering process, inoculation of Eurotium cristatum to white tea, improves the flavor. The impact on sensory qualities and underlying chemical basis of flowering in aged white tea warrant investigation. Sensory analysis, non-targeted metabolomics and volatilomics together deciphered flavor modifications of flowering in aged white tea from different aging years (FAWTs). Findings indicate the flowering process can recover the umami of aged white tea, enhancing the 'stale flavor'. These changes primarily stem from oxidations of catechins and free amino acids, enrichments of flavonols and soluble sugars, and 16 pivotal aroma compounds from degradations of lipids and glycosides. Additionally, 15 volatile and 39 non-volatile compounds were identified as potential biomarkers for FAWTs. These findings offer a viable strategy to improving the quality of aged white tea.

Uncovering the Shuixian tea grades hierarchy in Chinese national standard: From sensory evaluation to microstructure and volatile compounds analysis.

Basic standard samples are integral for ensuring consistency and quality control of tea. Understanding the real reasons behind the hierarchical system of Shuixian tea grades in the Chinese national standard is crucial to the scientific development of tea standardization. In this investigation, different grade samples of Shuixian tea strictly conformed to the Chinese national standard, serving as the research objects. Sensory evaluation, SEM and HS-SPME-GC-MS were employed to comprehensively analyze the aroma characteristics. The odor profiles of special grade samples predominantly featured floral and fruity aromas, which attributed to compounds such as geraniol, indole, phenylethyl alcohol. Additionally, hexanal, (E)-3-hexen-1-ol and other compounds contributed to fruity and sweet aroma in first grade. Notably, the predominant roasted and sweet aromas of second grade were attributed to compounds including pyridine, 2,5-dimethyl-pyrazine. This study lays a solid foundation for the scientific development of Chinese national standards and international standard system.

A newly-discovered tea population variety processed Bai Mu Dan white tea: Flavor characteristics and chemical basis.

The quality of white tea (WT) is impacted by selected tea cultivars. To explore the organoleptic quality of a recently-discovered WT ("Caicha", CC), HS-SPME/GC-MS and UPLC were employed to identify volatile and non-volatile compounds in tea samples. Multiple statistical methods demonstrated the distinctions between CC and four mainstream WT varieties from main producing areas. CC exhibited abundant volatile alcohol, terpenoids, ketone, aldehyde and ester, as well as non-volatile lignans and coumarins, phenolic acids and low-molecular carbohydrates. These substances combinedly contributed to the flavor attributes of CC, characterized by an intense herbal/citrus-like cleanness and flower/fruit-like sweetness, scarce in existing commercial WT varieties. Sensory evaluation corroborated these findings. In conclusion, we have processed a new tea variety (CC) with WT manufacturing technology, and discovered the unique cleanness and sweetness of it. This study enriches the raw material database for WT production and blending, and boosts the development of more premium WT varieties.

Hypoxia Stimulates PYGB Enzymatic Activity to Promote Glycogen Metabolism and Cholangiocarcinoma Progression.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) displays enhanced glycolysis, pivotal for fulfilling the heightened energy demands intrinsic to its malignant progression. Recent research has indicated that endogenous glycogen rather than exogenous glucose acts as the major carbon source for glycolysis, highlighting the need to better understand the regulation of glycogen homeostasis in CCA. Here, through comprehensive integrative analysis, we identified that glycogen phosphorylase brain form (PYGB), the main enzyme involved in glycogen homeostasis, was markedly upregulated in CCA tissues, serving as an independent prognostic indicator for human CCA patients. Moreover, elevated PYGB expression potentiated cholangiocarcinogenesis and augmented CCA cell proliferation in both organoid and xenograft models. Hypoxia stimulated PYGB activity in a phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1)-dependent manner, leading to glycogenolysis and the subsequent release of glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) and thereby facilitating aerobic glycolysis. Notably, a virtual screening pinpointed the beta-blocker carvedilol as a potent pharmacological inhibitor of PYGB that could attenuate CCA progression. Collectively, these findings position PYGB as a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for CCA.

Hydroxyls on the B ring and gallic acyl are essential for catechins to restrain ADP-induced thrombosis.

Platelet hyperactivation could lead to various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, while epidemiological analyses have found that long-term tea drinking could prevent and restrain cardiovascular diseases. Existing studies have shown that catechins, especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), are the main functional factors of tea in alleviating thrombosis, which could inhibit arterial thrombosis and platelet aggregation induced by a variety of agonists. However, their structure-activity relationship and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Based on the above background, this study took six typical catechins as research objects, constructed platelet activation models with different inducers, and explored the inhibitory effects and potential mechanisms of catechins with different structures on platelet aggregation through flow cytometry, immunoblotting, cell spreading, and other experiments. It was found that ester catechins could inhibit platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP), while epigallocatechin (EGC) with three hydroxyls on the B ring in non-ester catechins was also able to effectively inhibit platelet aggregation. Our data suggested that gallic acyl on the C ring and three hydroxyls on the B ring were the main functional groups affecting the antithrombotic effect of catechins, and the effect of gallic acyl on platelets was significantly stronger than that of the hydroxyl.

A local dark tea - Liubao tea - extract exhibits remarkable performance in oral tissue regeneration, inflammation relief and oral microbiota reconstruction.

The prevalence of oral health problems is ubiquitous in contemporary society, with particular emphasis placed on the central role of oral flora in mitigating this issue. Both ancient literature and modern research have highlighted the promising application of tea with substantial bioactive properties, particularly dark tea, in preserving and promoting oral health. Liubao tea, a widely consumed dark tea with increasing popularity in recent years, has been reported to possess abundant bioactive constituents, exhibit remarkable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, modulate the flora structure and so on. It may be a promising candidate for addressing oral health problems. In this study, Liubao tea was meticulously extracted, purified and identified, followed by an investigation of its potential to modulate oral microecology by virtue of an acetic acid-induced oral disorder murine model. The results revealed that Liubao tea extract (LTE) application commendably reconstructed the oral mucosal barrier, promoted tissue regeneration and mitigated micro-inflammation. Furthermore, LTE treatment could also ameliorate the oral flora composition by decreasing the abundance of Proteobacteria and increasing the abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria at the phylum level, as well as inhibiting pernicious bacteria such as Streptococcus and Delftia acidovorans. So, it could promote the generation of a beneficial microenvironment and regulate the immune process. Overall, LTE demonstrated remarkable potential in regulating the balance of oral microecology, suggesting that it may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for oral health concerns.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) alleviates the inflammatory response and recovers oral microbiota in acetic acid-induced oral inflammation mice.

The oral microbiota, the second largest microbiome in the human body, plays an integral role in maintaining both the local oral and systemic health of the host. Oral microecological imbalances have been identified as a potential risk factor for numerous oral and systemic diseases. As a representative component of tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has demonstrated inhibitory effects on most pathogens in single-microbial models. In this study, the regulatory effect of EGCG on more complex oral microbial systems was further explored through a mouse model of acetic acid-induced oral inflammation. Acetic acid induces histological damage in the cheek pouch, tongue, and throat, such as broken mucosa, submucosal edema, and muscular disorders. These detrimental effects were ameliorated significantly following EGCG treatment. Additionally, EGCG reduced the levels of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α to alleviate the inflammation of the tongue, cheek pouch, and throat. According to the 16S rDNA gene sequencing data, EGCG treatment contributed to increased diversity of the oral microbiota and the reversal of oral microecological disorder. This study demonstrates the regulatory effect of EGCG on dysregulated oral microbiota, providing a potential option for the prevention and treatment of oral-microbiota-associated diseases.

Another thread to uncover the aging mystery of white tea: Focusing on the natural nanoparticles in tea infusion.

Aged white tea (WT) has promising medicinal potential, but how to accurately identify aged white tea is still a difficult problem. Inspired by tea cream, the relationship between the characteristics of nanoparticles in tea infusion and aging time was studied. The results showed that with the increase of aging time, the particle size of white tea nanoparticles (WTNs) decreased gradually. Microscopic images showed that the surface structure of WTNs was changed in three aspects: the waxy layer, the cuticle layer and the palisade tissue. Additional in vitro modeling demonstrated a strong correlation between nanoparticle size and protein and tea polyphenol content. The correlation between nanoparticle sizes and aging time was further verified in aged Pu'er raw tea. Starting with the tea infusion's nanoparticles, this study showed that the aging time of WT would impact the nanoparticles' properties, offering a unique way to determine the aging period of WT.

Green tea extracts alleviate acetic acid-induced oral inflammation and reconstruct oral microbial balance in mice.

Oral cavity contains the second largest microbial community in the human body. Due to the highly vascularized feature of mouth, oral microbes could directly access the bloodstream and affect the host healthy systemically. The imbalance of oral microbiota is closely related to various oral and systemic diseases. Green tea extracts (GTE) mainly contain tea polyphenols, alkaloids, amino acid, flavones, and so on, which equipped with excellent anti-inflammatory activities. Previous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of GTE on oral health. However, most researches used in vitro models or focused on limited microorganisms. In this study, the regulatory effect of GTE on oral microbiome and the alleviative effect on oral inflammation in vivo were evaluated. The results showed that GTE could efficiently alleviate the inflammations of the tongue, cheek pouch, as well as throat. GTE effectively inhibited the activation of NF-κB through the upregulation of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10, consequently leading to reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α. The indexes of spleen and thymus were also elevated by GTE in stomatitis mice. Moreover, GTE promoted the growth of probiotics Lactobacillus and Bacillus, inhibited the reproduction of pathogens Achromobacter, reversing the microbiota disorders in oral cavity. This study not only presents a novel approach for enhancing oral microecology but also facilitates the wider adoption of tea consumption.

Copper Increases the Sensitivity of Cholangiocarcinoma Cells to Tripterine by Inhibiting TMX2-Mediated Unfolded Protein Reaction Activation.

Chemotherapy-induced adaptive resistance is a significant factor that contributes to low therapeutic efficacy in tumor cells. The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a key mechanism in the development of drug resistance and serves as a critical reactive system for endoplasmic reticulum stress. Cu(II) can reduce the abundance of 60S ribosomal subunits and inhibit rRNA processing, leading to a decrease in the translation efficiency of the GRP78/BiP mRNA, which serves as a primary sensor for UPR activation. In this study, CuET-Lipid@Cela, composed of CuET and tripterine (Cela), demonstrates a significant synergistic antitumor effect on cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells. RNA-Seq is used to investigate the underlying mechanism, which suggests that the transmembrane protein 2 (TMX2) gene may be crucial in Cu(II) regulation of UPR by inhibiting the activation of GRP78/BiP and PERK/eIF2α. The synergistic antitumor efficacy of CuET-Lipid@Cela via inhibition of TMX2 is also confirmed in a myrAKT/YapS127A plasmid-induced primary CCA mouse model, providing new insights into the reversal of acquired chemotherapy-induced resistance in CCA.

Theaflavin: a natural candidate to restrain thrombosis.

Many clinical studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of black tea on cardiovascular diseases. However, the antiplatelet and antithrombotic activities of theaflavin (TF-1) remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the beneficial effects of TF-1 on platelet activation and thrombosis formation both in vitro and in vivo. Firstly, the in vitro antiplatelet activity of TF-1 was analyzed using platelets isolated from human blood via aggregometry, flow cytometry, the ELISA kit, western blot and fluorescence microscopy. Subsequently, the in vivo analysis of the hemostatic state and thrombosis formation was carried out in C57BL/6 mice based on the tail bleeding time and an FeCl3-induced arterial thrombus model. The results showed that TF-1 could prominently inhibit platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner, and attenuate P-selectin expression, fibrinogen binding, spreading and thromboxane A2 (TxA2) formation. Western blot analysis showed that TF-1 potently inhibited spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) and Akt (ser473/474) phosphorylation. The in vivo data further confirmed the inhibition of platelet activation by TF-1 with a prolonged arterial occlusion time (from 15.0 ± 1.1 minutes to 40.0 ± 5.4 minutes). All the results indicated that TF-1 is a powerful inhibitor of platelet activation and thrombosis formation in C57BL/6 mice, and could be developed as a novel food-based inhibitor of thrombotic disorders.

Tunable Assembly of Protein Enables Fabrication of Platinum Nanostructures with Different Catalytic Activity.

Proteins are promising biofunctional units for the construction of nanomaterials (NMs) due to their abundant binding sites, intriguing self-assembly properties, and mild NM synthetic conditions. Tobacco mosaic virus coat protein (TMVCP) is a protein capable of self-assembly into distinct morphologies depending on the solution pH and ionic strength. Herein, we report the use of TMVCP as a building block to organize nanosized platinum into discrete nanorings and isolated nanoparticles by varying the solution pH to modulate the protein assembly state. Compared with a commercial Pt/C catalyst, the TMVCP-templated platinum materials exhibited significant promotion of the catalytic activity and stability toward methanol electrooxidation in both neutral and alkaline conditions. The enhanced catalytic performance is likely facilitated by the protein support. Additionally, Pt nanorings outperformed isolated nanoparticles, although they are both synthesized on TMVCP templates. This could be due to the higher mechanical stability of the protein disk structure and possible cooperative effects between adjacent nanoparticles in the ring with narrow interparticle spacing.

Recent Advances in Bio-Templated Metallic Nanomaterial Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Applications.

Developing metallic nanocatalysts with high reaction activity, selectivity and practical durability is a promising and active subfield in electrocatalysis. In the classical "bottom-up" approach to synthesize stable nanomaterials by chemical reduction, stabilizing additives such as polymers or organic surfactants must be present to cap the nanoparticle to prevent material bulk aggregation. In recent years, biological systems have emerged as green alternatives to support the uncoated inorganic components. One key advantage of biological templates is their inherent ability to produce nanostructures with controllable composition, facet, size and morphology under ecologically friendly synthetic conditions, which are difficult to achieve with traditional inorganic synthesis. In addition, through genetic engineering or bioconjugation, bio-templates can provide numerous possibilities for surface functionalization to incorporate specific binding sites for the target metals. Therefore, in bio-templated systems, the electrocatalytic performance of the formed nanocatalyst can be tuned by precisely controlling the material surface chemistry. With controlled improvements in size, morphology, facet exposure, surface area and electron conductivity, bio-inspired nanomaterials often exhibit enhanced catalytic activity towards electrode reactions. In this Review, recent research developments are presented in bio-approaches for metallic nanomaterial synthesis and their applications in electrocatalysis for sustainable energy storage and conversion systems.

Correction: Biosynthesized silver nanorings as a highly efficient and selective electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction.

Correction for 'Biosynthesized silver nanorings as a highly efficient and selective electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction' by Yani Pan et al., Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 18595-18603.

Biosynthesized silver nanorings as a highly efficient and selective electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction.

Inspiration from nature has driven the development and applications of greener inorganic nanomaterials prepared using biotemplates in the field of nanoscience. In this study, we report the superiority of using a biosynthesized silver nanoring material for CO formation in CO2 saturated KHCO3. Compared to bulk silver and free silver nanoparticles prepared by pure chemical reduction, this silver nanoring (assembled on tobacco mosaic virus coat protein) exhibits significantly enhanced activity and selectivity for the conversion of CO2 to CO. The highest CO faradaic efficiency reaches 95.0% at an overpotential of 910 mV. Additionally, the CO partial current density is 2.7-fold higher than that of the free silver nanoparticles. We believe that the improved catalytic performance is related to the structuring ligand effect of the protein. The numerous functional groups on the protein may tune the reaction activity by influencing the binding energies of the intermediate species from CO2 reduction or hydrogen evolution.