Ethyl acetate extract from black tea prevents neuromuscular blockade by botulinum neurotoxin type A in vitro.

Botulinum neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is the strongest neurotoxin and causes botulism in mammals. The current study aimed to find an inactivator for botulinum neurotoxin in black, oolong, roasted, and green teas. The ability of the four teas to inactivate the neuromuscular blocking action of botulinum neurotoxin was determined. Water extracts from black, oolong, and roasted teas protected against the toxicity of botulinum neurotoxin type A in mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm preparations. The order of potency of the water extracts was black tea > oolong tea > roasted tea > green tea (no effect). The effects of several organic solvent extracts of black tea water extract were examined, and the order of potency was ethyl acetate extract > butanol extract = remaining extract > chloroform extract (no effect). Ethyl acetate extracts from oolong, roasted, and green tea water extracts also exhibited a stronger protecting effect than chloroform, butanol, and remaining extracts from these teas, but they had weaker protective effect than ethyl acetate extract from black tea water extract. These protective effects occurred only when each extract was pre-mixed with the toxin before the assay, and they were not modified by mixing each extract with bovine serum albumin (BSA) before adding the toxin. These results indicate that ethyl acetate extract from black tea is the best source for searching for tea-derived inactivating substance(s) of botulinum neurotoxin.