Catechins: Therapeutic Perspectives in COVID-19-Associated Acute Kidney Injury

Data obtained from several intensive care units around the world have provided substantial evidence of the strong association between impairment of the renal function and in-hospital deaths of critically ill COVID-19 patients, especially those with comorbidities and requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT). Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common renal disorder of various etiologies characterized by a sudden and sustained decrease of renal function. Studies have shown that 5–46% of COVID-19 patients develop AKI during hospital stay, and the mortality of those patients may reach up to 100% depending on various factors, such as organ failures and RRT requirement. Catechins are natural products that have multiple pharmacological activities, including anti-coronavirus and reno-protective activities against kidney injury induced by nephrotoxic agents, obstructive nephropathies and AKI accompanying metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. Therefore, in this review, we discuss the anti-SARS-CoV-2 and reno-protective effects of catechins from a mechanistic perspective. We believe that catechins may serve as promising therapeutics in COVID-19-associated AKI due to their well-recognized anti-SARS-CoV-2, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that mediate their reno-protective activities.     

反相高效液相色谱法测定嘌呤、嘧啶类化合物

用反相高效液相色谱法同时分离和测定了胞嘧啶、胸腺嘧啶、腺嘌呤、茶碱和咖啡因等５种结构相似的生物碱基。方法简便、快速,用于茶样中咖啡因的测定,标准加入回收率在９５．６９％～１０４．２０％之间。     

Analytical Assessment of Bioelements in Various Types of Black Teas from Different Geographical Origins in View of Chemometric Approach

A comprehensive approach to the mineral composition of black teas of different origins was studied using the Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS) method, supported by chemometric tools including Principal Component Analysis PCA) and Classification and Regression Trees (CART). Significant differences between the teas from seven countries (Japan, Nepal, Kenya, Iran, Sri Lanka, India, and China) were shown. K was the main element determined in all teas, with an average concentration of 11,649 mg/kg, followed by Ca, Mg and Mn. In general, regarding all investigated black teas, the element content was ranked in the following order: K > Ca > Mg > Mn > Fe > Na > Zn > Cu. The applied chemometric methods allowed us to recognize black tea clusters based on their mineral composition and place of cultivation, and allowed us to find correlations between particular elements in black teas. The performed analyses revealed interesting correlations between the concentration of various elements in black teas: K was negatively correlated with Na, Fe, Mn and Cu; K was positively correlated with the content of Ca and Mg. Significant positive correlations between Mn and Fe and Mn and Zn in the studied black tea samples were also revealed. It was shown that mineral composition may be a significant factor regarding the origin of the black tea, not only considering the country, but also the region or province.     

茶中茶多酚的高效液相色谱法分离分析

用改进的Ａｇａｒｗａｌ方法萃取不同种类茶叶和茶饮料中的茶多酚,建立了用高效液相色谱（ＨＰＬＣ）法对茶多酚进行分离分析方法。ＨＰＬＣ可有效分离ＧＴＰｓ主要组成成分ＥＣ、ＥＧＣ、ＥＣＧ和ＥＧＣＧ并精确定量,相对标准偏差小于５％。茶叶加工过程对ＧＴＰｓ含量有很大影响,绿茶总ＧＴＰｓ含量在６￣１５ｇ／１００ｇ干茶叶、乌龙茶总ＧＴＰｓ含量在５￣７ｇ／１００ｇ干茶叶,红茶总ＧＴＰｓ含量低于２ｇ／１００ｇ干茶叶     

Metabolomics Provides A Novel Interpretation of the Changes in Main Compounds during Black Tea Processing through Different Drying Methods

This study aimed to compare the effect of hot roller (HR) drying and hot air (HA) drying on the sensory evaluation, chemical quality, antioxidant activity, and metabolic profile of Yihong Congou black tea processed from E’cha NO1. The Yihong Congou black tea dried with HA obtained higher sensory scores and better chemical qualities such as the hue of tea brew color (a and b), content of theaflavins, thearubigins, water extract, free amino acids, tea polyphenol, and the ratio of polyphenol to amino acids as well as higher antioxidant capacities compared to that dried with HR. The HA drying tea increased the contents of volatile compounds that had positive correlation with sweet and flowery flavor, while the HR drying tea increased the contents of volatile compounds related to fruity flavor. Moreover, non-targeted metabolomics data indicated that the levels of most free amino acids significantly increased, while the levels of most soluble sugars reduced in the HA drying method compared to the HR drying method. The metabolic analysis was also consistent with the above results and revealed that D-ribose and gallic acid were the main characteristic metabolites of HA drying. Our results could provide a technical reference and theoretical guide to processing a high quality of Yihong Congou black tea.     

天然抗氧化剂茶多酚

抗氧化剂是指能防止或延缓食品成分氧化变质的食品添加剂.茶多酚是目前尚不能人工合成的纯天然、多功能、高效能的抗氧化剂和自由基净化剂,可用超临界CO2萃取法、离子沉淀提取法、树脂吸附分离法、有机溶剂萃取法提取.采用酒石酸亚铁比色法测定茶多酚含量.     

Widely Targeted Metabolomics Analysis Reveals Great Changes in Nonvolatile Metabolites of Oolong Teas during Long-Term Storage

As a semifermented tea, oolong is exceedingly popular worldwide for its elegant, flowery aroma and mellow, rich taste. However, recent marketing trends for old oolong teas and their chemical quality largely remain unexplored. In this study, we applied widely targeted metabolomics using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) combined with multivariate analysis to investigate the chemical change of oolong teas in the aging process. With the increasing of store time, most nongalloylated catechins; tannins, including TFs and proanthocyanidins; flavonols and glycosylated flavonols; amino acids and their derivatives; nucleotides and their derivatives; and lots of alkaloids and phospholipids declined, while most fatty acids and organic acids increased, and galloylated catechins, GA, and caffeine were almost stable. The result also suggested that approximately seven years (but not an infinite extension) was a special period for oolong tea storage, which brings about excellent taste.     

加速溶剂萃取-固相萃取净化-气相色谱-串联质谱法检测茶叶中9种拟除虫菊酯类农药残留

建立了加速溶剂萃取（ASE）-固相萃取净化（SPE）-气相色谱-串联质谱（GC-MS/MS）同时测定茶叶中9种拟除虫菊酯类农药残留的方法。ASE萃取溶剂为丙酮-正己烷（1：1,v/v）,萃取温度为100℃,萃取压力为10 MPa,加热时间为3 min,静态萃取时间为5 min,循环1次,冲洗体积为40%萃取池体积,氮气吹扫100 s。萃取结束后用Cleanert TPT固相萃取柱净化,净化液浓缩定容后,采用GC-MS/MS测定,外标法定量。9种拟除虫菊酯类农药在2~1000 μg/L范围内呈现良好的线性关系,相关系数（r²）均大于0.99,方法检出限为0.2~4.5 μg/kg,定量限为0.8~15.0 μg/kg。在绿茶、红茶空白基质中做加标回收试验,添加水平为0.02、0.1、0.4 mg/kg以及定量限水平,得到的平均回收率为69.87%~110.0%,相对标准偏差（RSD）为0.7%~11.2%。该方法背景干扰低、灵敏度高、重现性好、回收率稳定,适用于茶叶中拟除虫菊酯类农药残留量的检测。     

Analysis of Protein Moiety of Polysaccharide Conjugates Water-extracted from Low Grade Green Tea

Tea polysaccharide conjugates(TPCs) were water-extracted and purified from low-grade green tea. Although TPC contains 1.97% covalent binding proteins, Coomassie brilliant blue G250 and R250 could not detect this protein. The "should-shape" absorption peak observed at 250-280 nm in the UV-Vis spectrum was caused by quinone compounds derived from polyphenol oxidation during TPC extraction. The UV-Vis spectrum could be used to detect the decolorizing degree of TPC. TPC aqueous solution merely presented the negative charge properties of its polysaccharides instead of the acid-base property of its protein section, and exhibited higher stability at pH greater than 5.0. No precipitation or haze occurred in three TPC/epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG) aqueous mixtures during 12 h storage. TPC had emulsifying activity, which indicated that its protein moiety formed hydrophobic groups. It is proposed that some of the physicochemical properties of the TPC protein moiety are shielded by its polysaccharide chain.     

基于手机APP实现驻波法对声速的测量

介绍了一种利用普通智能手机和一根两端开口奶茶管基于声驻波现象来测量声速的方法。这种实验方法所用的实验仪器随手可得,无需学生再到学校的实验室进行实验,激发了学生的学习兴趣,增强了学生的动手能力。