a Pharmacy Department , Oriente University , Avenida Patricio Lumumba s/n, 90500 Santiago de Cuba , Cuba.
Nat Prod Res. 2014;28(18):1485-8. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2014.911296. Epub 2014 Apr 29.
Tamarind leaves are edible; however, their saponin content could be toxic to human blood cells. In this article, the effect of tamarind leaf fluid extract (TFE) on human blood cells was evaluated by using several tests. Results revealed that TFE did not cause significant haemolysis on human red blood cells even at the lowest evaluated concentration (20 mg/mL). Blood protein denaturalisation ratio was consistently lower than in control at TFE concentrations greater than 40 mg/mL. Erythrocyte membrane damage caused by the action of oxidative H2O2 displayed a steady reduction with increasing TFE concentrations. In the reactive oxygen species (ROS) measurement by using flow cytometry assay, leucocyte viability was over 95% at tested concentrations, and a high ROS inhibition was also recorded. Protective behaviour found in TFE should be attributed to its polyphenol content. Thus, tamarind leaves can be regarded as a potential source of interesting phytochemicals.
罗望子叶可食用；然而，其所含的皂素可能对人体血细胞有毒性。本文通过多项试验评估了罗望子叶浸提液（Tamarind leaf fluid extract，TFE）对人体血细胞的影响。结果表明，即使在最低评估浓度（20mg/mL）下，TFE 也不会导致人红细胞发生明显溶血。在 TFE 浓度大于 40mg/mL 时，血蛋白变性率始终低于对照组。随着 TFE 浓度的增加，由氧化 H2O2 引起的红细胞膜损伤呈逐渐减少的趋势。通过流式细胞术检测活性氧（reactive oxygen species，ROS），在测试浓度下白细胞的存活率超过 95%，并且还记录到高 ROS 抑制率。在 TFE 中发现的保护作用应归因于其多酚含量。因此，罗望子叶可以被视为有前途的植物化学物质来源。
