%0 Journal Article
%T Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Polyphenols-Rich Extract from Tea (Camellia sinensis) Flowers in Acute and Chronic Mice Models
%A Bang-Tian Chen
%A Wei-Xi Li
%A Rong-Rong He
%A Yi-Fang Li
%A Bun Tsoi
%A Yu-Jia Zhai
%A Hiroshi Kurihara
%J Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/537923
%X While beneficial health properties of tea leaves have been extensively studied, less attention is paid to the flowers of tea. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effects of hot water extract of tea (Camellia sinensis) flowers were investigated. Pharmacological studies found that administration of tea flowers extract (TFE) could effectively inhibit croton oil-induced ear edema and carrageenin-induced paw edema. Furthermore, administration of TFE also protected against Propionibacterium acnes (P. ances) plus lipopolysaccharide-(LPS-) induced liver inflammation by reversing the histologic damage and plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increase. Moreover, the levels of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-(TNF)-α and interleukin-(IL-) 1β mRNA in mouse liver were markedly suppressed after treatment with TFE in mice with immunological liver inflammation. These results indicated that tea flowers had potent anti-inflammatory effects on acute and immunological inflammation in vivo, and may be used as a functional natural food.
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/oximed/2012/537923/