ABSTRACT
Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and is recognized as having numerous beneficialhealth effects due to its phenolic content. The current study aimed to evaluate and compare the phenolic andflavonoid content of two forms of Twining English Breakfast Tea: tea bags (TBs) and opened tea bags (OTBs).The antioxidant activity was also assessed using DPPH, FRAP, and CUPRAC assays. The results obtainedrevealed that the OTB infusion exhibited significantly higher phenolic and flavonoid content than the TB infusionat 5 and 10 minutes. The OTB infusion also significantly showed higher iron and cupper reducing powers thanthe TB infusion at the same time points. However, both samples demonstrated the same scavenging activity acrossall infusion times. These results suggest that the tea bags used with Twinings English Breakfast Tea may affectthe phenolic and flavonoid content released by the tea and subsequently influence the antioxidant ability of thetea as a reducing agent.
ABSTRACT
Background: Zamzam water (ZW) is a natural alkaline water that contains several minerals that may represent a powerful tool for cancer therapy. Objectives: In this research, in vitro antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of ZW were investigated in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted between January 2015 and February 2016. The effects of ZW on the morphology and the cell viability of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 were determined. The cell death type and cell cycle changes were investigated using flow cytometry. Finally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also measured by fluorometric technique. Results: MCF-7 cells treated with either ZW with adjusted pH at 7.2 or unadjusted pH at 8 showed reduced cell viability of cancerous cells. The cell death occurred through the apoptosis pathway under both treatment conditions. The treated MCF-7 cells were arrested in the G2/M phase and decreased in the G1 phase. Only the unadjusted pH ZW sample demonstrated an increase in the production of both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial ROS in MCF-7 cells. Conclusion: All the results in the present study indicated, for the first time, that ZW might have anticancer and apoptotic effects on breast cancer cell line