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In vitro and in vivo anti-allergic effects of ‘benifuuki’ green tea containing O-methylated catechin and ginger extract enhancement

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Abstract

‘Benifuuki’, a tea (Camellia Sinensis L.) cultivar in Japan, is rich in anti-allergic epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate (EGCG3″Me). ‘Benifuuki’ green tea and simultaneous addition of ginger extract remarkably suppressed cytokine (TNF-α and MIP-1α) secretion from mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells after antigen stimulation and, as expected, suppressed delay-type allergy. After drinking ‘benifuuki’ green tea containing 43.5 mg of EGCG and 8.5 mg of EGCG3″Me, the AUC (area under the drug concentration time curve; min μg/ml) of EGCG was 6.72 ± 2.87 and EGCG3″Me was 8.48 ± 2.54 in healthy human volunteers. Though the dose of EGCG was 5.1 times the dose of EGCG3″Me, the AUC of EGCG3″Me was higher than that of EGCG. A double blind clinical study on subjects with Japanese cedar pollinosis was carried out. At the 11th week after starting the study, in the most severe cedar pollen scattering period, symptoms, i.e., blowing the nose and itching eyes, were significantly relieved in the ‘benifuuki’ intake group compared with the placebo group, and blowing the nose, itching eyes and nasal symptom score, and at the 11th and 13th weeks, stuffy nose, throat pain and the nasal symptom medication score were significantly relieved in the ‘benifuuki’ containing ginger extract group compared with the placebo group. These results suggested that over one consecutive month, drinking ‘benifuuki’ green tea was useful to reduce some of the symptoms from Japanese cedar pollinosis, and did not affect any normal immune response in subjects with seasonal rhinitis, and the ginger extract enhanced the effect of ‘benifuuki’ green tea.

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Abbreviations

EGCG:

Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate

EGCG3″Me:

Epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate

AUC:

Area under the drug concentration time curve

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Vegetable and Tea Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2769 Kanaya, Shimada, Shizuoka, 428-8501, Japan

    Mari Maeda-Yamamoto & Kaori Ema

  2. Products Research & Development Laboratory, Asahi Soft Drinks Co., Ltd, 1-1-21 Midori, Moriya, Ibaraki, 302-0106, Japan

    Ikuo Shibuichi

Authors
  1. Mari Maeda-Yamamoto
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  2. Kaori Ema
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  3. Ikuo Shibuichi
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Correspondence to Mari Maeda-Yamamoto.

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Maeda-Yamamoto, M., Ema, K. & Shibuichi, I. In vitro and in vivo anti-allergic effects of ‘benifuuki’ green tea containing O-methylated catechin and ginger extract enhancement. Cytotechnology 55, 135–142 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-007-9112-1

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