Department of Interventional Radiology, Shanghai 10th People's Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
Molecules. 2013 Oct 24;18(11):13175-87. doi: 10.3390/molecules181113175.
Green tea has been consumed as the most popular drink in East Asia for centuries, and is believed to have a wide range of health benefits. L-Theanine, the major component of the free amino acids in green tea, has been reported to display neuronal protection and tumor inhibition in vitro, but its physiological effects on animal development and behavior remain elusive. In this report, we used Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, as a model organism to investigate the physiological effects of L-theanine. Flies were fed with three different concentrations of theanine as a dietary supplement after eclosion, and were examined for a variety of physiological parameters at different time points. We found theanine treatment results in significantly increased locomotion and courtship ability, and decreased resistance against wet and dry starvation in males, but not in females. Furthermore, theanine application diminished UV tolerance in females, but not in males. However, we did not perceive distinguishable effect of theanine on animal development, life span, weight, and tolerance of heat and anoxia. This work represents the first comprehensive physiological investigation of L-theanine at the whole animal level, and shall shed light on the mechanistic study of theanine in the future.
绿茶作为东亚最受欢迎的饮品已经有几个世纪的历史了，被认为具有广泛的健康益处。L-茶氨酸是绿茶游离氨基酸的主要成分，据报道在体外具有神经元保护和肿瘤抑制作用，但它对动物发育和行为的生理影响仍不清楚。在本报告中，我们使用黑腹果蝇作为模式生物来研究 L-茶氨酸的生理效应。刚羽化的果蝇在进食时添加三种不同浓度的茶氨酸作为膳食补充剂，并在不同时间点检测其多种生理参数。我们发现茶氨酸处理显著增加了雄性果蝇的运动和求偶能力，以及降低了对干湿饥饿的抵抗力，但对雌性果蝇没有影响。此外，茶氨酸的应用降低了雌性果蝇对紫外线的耐受性，但对雄性果蝇没有影响。然而，我们没有察觉到茶氨酸对动物发育、寿命、体重以及对热和缺氧的耐受性有明显影响。这项工作代表了对 L-茶氨酸在整体动物水平上的首次全面生理研究，为今后对茶氨酸的机制研究提供了线索。
