State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, School of Tea and Food Sciences and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
Key Laboratory of Bioresource and Environmental Biotechnology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, School of Biological Engineering, Institute of Digital Ecology and Health, Huainan Normal University, Huainan 232001, China.
Molecules. 2024 Jun 6;29(11):2691. doi: 10.3390/molecules29112691.
L-theanine, a unique non-protein amino acid, is an important bioactive component of green tea. Previous studies have shown that L-theanine has many potent health benefits, such as anti-anxiety effects, regulation of the immune response, relaxing neural tension, and reducing oxidative damage. However, little is known concerning whether L-theanine can improve the clearance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage in organisms. Here, we reported that L-theanine treatment increased ATP production and improved mitochondrial morphology to extend the lifespan of UVC-exposed nematodes. Mechanistic investigations showed that L-theanine treatment enhanced the removal of mtDNA damage and extended lifespan by activating autophagy, mitophagy, mitochondrial dynamics, and mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR) in UVC-exposed nematodes. In addition, L-theanine treatment also upregulated the expression of genes related to mitochondrial energy metabolism in UVC-exposed nematodes. Our study provides a theoretical basis for the possibility that tea drinking may prevent mitochondrial-related diseases.
L-茶氨酸是一种独特的非蛋白氨基酸，是绿茶中的一种重要生物活性成分。先前的研究表明，L-茶氨酸具有许多有益健康的功效，如抗焦虑作用、调节免疫反应、放松神经紧张和减少氧化损伤。然而，目前尚不清楚 L-茶氨酸是否可以改善生物体中线粒体 DNA（mtDNA）损伤的清除。在这里，我们报道 L-茶氨酸处理可增加 ATP 产生并改善线粒体形态，从而延长 UVC 暴露线虫的寿命。机制研究表明，L-茶氨酸处理通过激活自噬、线粒体自噬、线粒体动力学和 UVC 暴露线虫中的线粒体未折叠蛋白反应（UPR），增强 mtDNA 损伤的清除并延长寿命。此外，L-茶氨酸处理还上调了 UVC 暴露线虫中线粒体能量代谢相关基因的表达。我们的研究为饮茶可能预防与线粒体相关的疾病提供了理论依据。
