possible biological stasis with rooibos tea

From: Doug Skrecky (oberon@vcn.bc.ca)
Date: Mon Jan 24 2000 - 13:14:43 MST


Citations: 1-2
<1>
Authors
  Lamosova D. Jurani M. Greksak M. Nakano M. Vanekova M.
Institution
  Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Sciences,
  Ivanka pri Dunaji, Slovakia. LAMOSOVA@UBGZ.SAVBA.SK
Title
  Effect of Rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) on chick
  skeletal muscle cell growth in culture.
Source
  Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology. Part C Pharmacology, Toxicology,
  Endocrinology. 116(1):39-45, 1997 Jan.
Abstract
  Rooibos tea (RT) extract contains natural antioxidants and
  scavenging agents. We investigated the effects of different concentrations of
  RT extract in medium on growth and changes of growth parameters of cultured
  chick embryonic skeletal muscle cells. Presence of 2, 10 and 100% of RT
  extract in the culture of primary cells significantly inhibited cell
  proliferation. The inhibition of cell growth reflected on decreased DNA, RNA
  and protein contents in primary cell culture and fibroblasts and myoblasts.
  The ability of the primary cells, fibroblasts and myoblasts to synthesize DNA
  and protein in the presence of RT extract, measured as an amount of
  [3H]thymidine and [3H]leucine incorporated into DNA and de novo synthesized
  protein, corresponded with decreasing DNA and protein contents in all three
  cell types. The inhibition effect of RT rose with increasing concentration of
  the tea extract in the culture medium. Ornithine decarboxylase activity was
  significantly affected only by 100% RT extract in every examined cell types.
  These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of RT extract on the growth
  of primary cells, fibroblasts and myoblasts is due to the potent scavenging
  activity of the RT extract.

<2>
Authors
  Inanami O. Asanuma T. Inukai N. Jin T. Shimokawa S. Kasai N. Nakano M.
  Sato F. Kuwabara M.
Institution
  Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan.
Title
  The suppression of age-related accumulation of lipid peroxides in rat brain
  by administration of Rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis).
Source
  Neuroscience Letters. 196(1-2):85-8, 1995 Aug 18.
Abstract
  The protective effects of Rooibos tea (RT), Aspalathus
  linearis, against damage to the central nervous system (CNS) accompanying
  aging were examined by both the thiobarbituric acid reaction (TBA) and
  magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods in brains of chronically RT-treated
  rats. Ad libitum administration of RT was begun with 3-month-old Wistar
  female rats and continued for 21 months. The contents of TBA reactive
  substances (TBARS) in the frontal cortex, occipital cortex, hippocampus and
  cerebellum in 24-month-old rats after administration with water were
  significantly higher than those in young rats (5 weeks old). However, no
  significant increase of TBARS was observed in RT-administered aged rats. When
  MR images of the brains of 24-month-old rats with and without RT as well as
  5-week-old rats were taken, a decrease of the signal intensity was observed
  in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum in MR images of aged rats
  without RT, whereas little change of the signal intensity was observed in MR
  images of the same regions of 24-month-old rats treated with RT, whose images
  were similar to those of young rats. These observations suggested that (1)
  the age-related accumulation of lipid peroxides in the brain was closely
  related to the morphological changes observed by MRI, and (2) chronic
  RT-administration prevented age-related accumulation of lipid peroxides in
  several regions of rat brain.



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