Unno Keiko, et al.
Phytomedicine, 2016
Abstract
Background
Theanine, an amino acid in tea, has significant anti-stress effects on animals and humans. However, the anti-stress effects of drinking green tea have not yet been elucidated. Hypothesis/
Purpose
The present study aimed to explore anti-stress effects of green tea and roles of tea components in a mouse model of psychosocial stress.
Study design
We examined anti-stress effects of three types of green teas, theanine-rich "Gyokuro", standard "Sencha", and Sencha with lowered caffeine (low-caffeine green tea). Furthermore, the roles of tea components such as caffeine, catechins, and other amino acids in anti-stress effects were examined.
Methods
To prepare low-caffeine green tea, plucked new tea leaves were treated with a hot-water spray. Mice were psychosocially stressed from a conflict among male mice under confrontational housing. Mice consumed each tea that was eluted with room temperature water ad libitum. As a marker for the stress response, adrenal hypertrophy was compared with mice that ingested water.
Results
Caffeine was significantly lowered by spraying hot-water on tea leaves. While epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the main catechin in tea leaves, epigallocatechin (EGC) was mainly infused into water at room temperature. Adrenal hypertrophy was significantly suppressed in mice that ingested theanine-rich and low-caffeine green tea that were eluted with water at room temperature. Caffeine and EGCG suppressed the anti-stress effects of theanine while EGC and arginine (Arg) retained these effects.
Conclusion
These results suggest that drinking green tea exhibits anti-stress effects, where theanine, EGC and Arg cooperatively abolish the counter-effect of caffeine and EGCG on psychosocial stress induced adrenal hypertrophy in mice.
Keywords
Anti-stress effect; Arginine; Caffeine; Epigallocatechin; Green tea; Theanine.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
| PMID: | 27765356 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.phymed.2016.07.006 |
| Category: | Stress / Relaxation |
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