Tsukamoto S, Kanegae T, Nagoya T, Shimamura M, Kato T, Watanabe S, Kawaguchi M
Department of Legal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Alcohol Alcohol. 1993 Nov;28(6):687-92.
We evaluated the effects of the seed saponins of Thea sinensis L. on alcohol absorption and metabolism in rats and mice. An ethanolic extract from the seeds of T. sinensis was orally administered to the rats 1 hr before or 0.5 hr after administration of ethanol (2 g/kg), and the blood ethanol assayed 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 hr after ethanol administration. The ethanol level decreased after both pre- and post-administration of the extract. The extract was further purified to obtain a saponin fraction which was orally administered to mice 1 hr before ethanol administration. Blood, liver, and stomach were obtained 0, 1, 3, and 6 hr after ethanol administration, and the ethanol, acetaldehyde, acetate, and acetone concentrations in each specimen were measured by head space gas chromatography. The saponin fraction decreased the ethanol levels in the blood and liver but increased that in the stomach five-fold over the control level, suggesting inhibition of alcohol absorption. The ethanol disappearance time from the blood was shortened, suggesting the promotion of alcohol disappearance. The acetate and acetone levels were unaffected. However, the acetaldehyde level decreased in the blood, liver, and stomach. The decreases in the ethanol and acetaldehyde levels in the liver suggested the protective effects of the seed saponins on the liver. The saponins did not directly inhibit hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity. The seed saponins of T. sinensis seem to suppress alcohol absorption by slowing gastric emptying and by inhibiting absorption across the cell membranes of the digestive tract.
我们评估了茶树种子皂苷对大鼠和小鼠酒精吸收及代谢的影响。在给大鼠灌胃乙醇（2 g/kg）前1小时或灌胃后0.5小时，口服给予茶树种子乙醇提取物，于乙醇灌胃后0.5、1、2、3和4小时测定血乙醇含量。提取物在乙醇灌胃前和灌胃后给药，血乙醇水平均下降。将提取物进一步纯化得到皂苷组分，在给小鼠灌胃乙醇前1小时口服给予该皂苷组分。于乙醇灌胃后0、1、3和6小时采集血液、肝脏和胃组织，采用顶空气相色谱法测定各样本中乙醇、乙醛、乙酸和丙酮的浓度。皂苷组分使血液和肝脏中的乙醇水平降低，而使胃中的乙醇水平比对照水平升高了五倍，提示其对酒精吸收有抑制作用。血液中乙醇消失时间缩短，提示其促进了酒精的消除。乙酸和丙酮水平未受影响。然而，血液、肝脏和胃中的乙醛水平降低。肝脏中乙醇和乙醛水平的降低提示种子皂苷对肝脏有保护作用。皂苷并未直接抑制肝脏乙醇脱氢酶活性。茶树种子皂苷似乎通过减缓胃排空和抑制消化道细胞膜的吸收来抑制酒精吸收。
