Morinaga & Company, Ltd., 2-1-1 Shimosueyoshi, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-8504, Japan.
J Agric Food Chem. 2010 Feb 10;58(3):1903-8. doi: 10.1021/jf904335g.
Benifuuki is a tea cultivar with an antiallergic effect stronger than that of Yabukita tea, the most popular green tea cultivar consumed in Japan. The effective compound is (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl)gallate (EGCG3''Me), an O-methylated derivative of EGCG. This study examined the antihypertensive effects of EGCG3''Me and Benifuuki tea. First, it was determined that EGCG3''Me has a significant inhibitory effect on the activity of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE). Second, clinical trials showed that Benifuuki tea suppressed high blood pressure to a greater extent than green tea that did not contain EGCG3''Me after equal amounts of tea catechins were consumed for 8 weeks. The effect of Benifuuki tea on human hypertension is mainly the result of the strong inhibitory effect of EGCG3''Me on ACE activity, its high rate of absorption, and its stability in the blood.
二茶是一种具有抗过敏作用的茶，其抗过敏效果强于日本最受欢迎的绿茶品种——玉露茶。其有效成分是（-）-表没食子儿茶素-3-O-（3-O-甲基）没食子酸酯（EGCG3''Me），这是 EGCG 的 O-甲基化衍生物。本研究考察了 EGCG3''Me 和二茶的降血压作用。首先，确定 EGCG3''Me 对血管紧张素转化酶（ACE）的活性具有显著的抑制作用。其次，临床试验表明，在摄入等量儿茶素 8 周后，二茶茶比不含 EGCG3''Me 的绿茶更能显著降低血压。二茶对人类高血压的影响主要是由于 EGCG3''Me 对 ACE 活性的强烈抑制作用、其高吸收率以及其在血液中的稳定性所致。
