ABSTRACT
Objective: In this study, black tea and Citrus maxima (BT-CM), yellow tea and C. maxima (YT-CM), green tea and C. maxima (GT-CM) as subjects, the active ingredient content and antioxidant activity of three tea and C. maxima (T-CM) were analyzed. The effects of three T-CMs on apoptosis of liver cells in vitro and its mechanism were further explored. Methods: National standard method and HPLC were used for active ingredient analysis. MTT, cell flow cytometry and Western blot were used to analyze the effects of three T-CMs on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and its underlying molecular mechanism. Results: The content of tea polyphenols, free amino acids, ratio of polyphenols and amino acids, ester catechins, non-ester catechins and caffeine in YT-CM and GT-CM was significantly higher than that of BT-CM. The in vitro antioxidant capacity of YT-CM and GT-CM was also significantly stronger than that of BT-CM. Three T-CMs had the effects of inhibiting proliferation, arresting cell cycle and inducing apoptosis in HepG2 and Bel7402 cells, especially YT-CM and GT-CM. Western blot analysis showed three T-CMs activated PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and regulated the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins Bax, Bcl-2 and Caspase-3/9. YT-CM and GT-CM had better ability to change the signal pathway than BT-CM. Conclusion: In short, T-CMs, which combined different degrees of fermentation tea with C. maxima, were rich in nutrients and biologically active substances. T-CMs, especially YT-CM and GT-CM, are healthy drinks that help to prevent and treat liver cancer.
ABSTRACT
Garcinia lanceifolia and Citrus maxima are two indigenous fruits of East India, particularly Assam; which has been used in various folkloric medicines to treat disorders ranging from diarrhea and jaundice to stomach and heart problems. The main aim of this study was to establish and compare the antioxidant potential of these two plants. The methanolic extracts of the bark of G. lanceifolia and C. maxima were tested for their antioxidant potential using various established in vitro assay procedures. The estimation of the total phenolic and total flavonoid content were also carried out. The phytochemical screening was also done prior to these assays, and it revealed that both the extracts were found to contain tannins and phenolic compounds and flavonoids along with other phytoconstituents. The results reveal that both these plants have a considerable amount of antioxidant activity which can be compared with each other and also the standards.
ABSTRACT
Citrus maxima is a traditional medicine used to treat astringent, constipation, hypnotic, inflammation and antiseptic. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate central nervous system activities of ethanolic extract of Citrus maxima (EECM). Oral administration of 200 and 400 mg/kg of EECM was to the depressant, anxiolytic, convulsant, hypnotic and muscle relaxant experimental animals. In the locomotor test, EECM increased the numbers of rearing, central motor and ambulation were reduced. The number of entries and time spent in the open arm was increased, decreased locomotion in elevated-plus-maze and actophotometer test. EECM protected the mice against the pentylenetetrazole and strychnine induced convulsion in a dose dependent manner. Treatment with EECM (p<0.01) reduced the duration of the tonic hind limb extension, increased hypnotics time and decreased motor co-ordination of experimental animals. This study concludes C. maxima will be an alternative source for psychiatric and neurological disorders.