Tenore Gian C, Daglia Maria, Ciampaglia Roberto, Novellino Ettore
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy.
Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2015;16(3):265-71. doi: 10.2174/1389201016666150118133604.
Black, green, and white teas are the main commercial teas obtained from buds and leaves of Camellia sinensis (L.). The postharvest processing treatments, together with genotype and growing techniques, may strongly affect the chemical composition of the tea infusion and, thereby, its potential effects on health. Catechins constituted up to 30% of tea leaves dry weight. During fermentation, polyphenols undergo enzymatic oxidation, leading to the formation of condensed polymeric compounds regarded as responsible for the typical organoleptic properties of black tea leaves and related infusions. Scientific studies has been recently focusing on the possibility that tea polyphenols, particularly those of black and green tea, may lead to healthy properties in individuals affected by diseases correlated to metabolic syndrome. In vivo experiments reveal that green and black tea polyphenols may be able to reduce hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. Other works suggest that black tea polymeric products may be effective in decreasing blood cholesterol levels and hypertriacylglycerolemia. To this regard, very few data about white tea, being the rarest and the least handled tea, are available so far. It has been reported that white tea could show higher antioxidative capacity than green tea and to exert in vitro lipolytic activity. Considering the increasing interest towards healthy potential through diet and natural medicaments, the aim of the present review was to overview the nutraceutical potential of polyphenols from tea after various degrees of fermentation.
红茶、绿茶和白茶是从茶树（Camellia sinensis (L.)）的芽和叶中获取的主要商业茶叶。收获后的加工处理，以及基因型和种植技术，可能会强烈影响茶汤的化学成分，从而影响其对健康的潜在影响。儿茶素占茶叶干重的比例高达30%。在发酵过程中，多酚会发生酶促氧化，导致形成缩合聚合物化合物，这些化合物被认为是红茶叶及其相关茶汤典型感官特性的成因。最近，科学研究一直聚焦于茶多酚，尤其是红茶和绿茶中的茶多酚，可能会对受与代谢综合征相关疾病影响的个体产生有益健康特性的可能性。体内实验表明，绿茶和红茶中的多酚可能能够降低高血糖和胰岛素抵抗。其他研究表明，红茶聚合物产品可能对降低血液胆固醇水平和高甘油三酯血症有效。在这方面，由于白茶是最稀有且处理最少的茶叶，目前关于它的数据非常少。据报道，白茶可能比绿茶具有更高的抗氧化能力，并具有体外脂肪分解活性。鉴于人们对通过饮食和天然药物实现健康潜力的兴趣日益浓厚，本综述的目的是概述不同发酵程度茶叶中多酚的营养保健潜力。
