High impact information on Aspalathus

• After the fractionation of rooibos tea infusion, the flavonoid fraction was found to be most anticlastogenic and antioxidative [1].
• From these results we can conclude that antioxidant compounds in rooibos tea partially prevent oxidative stress and they are effective in both hydrophobic and hydrophilic biological systems [2].
• Rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) partially prevents oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats [2].
• Administration of aqueous and alkaline extracts of rooibos tea (or N-acetyl-L-cysteine for comparison) to diabetic rats did not affect markers of the diabetic status (glucose, glycated hemoglobin and fructosamine) [2].
• The modulating effect of ethanol/acetone (E/A) soluble fractions, prepared from methanolic extracts of processed and unprocessed rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia) as well as green (Camellia sinensis) teas was established in a two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis assay [3].

Biological context of Aspalathus

• The processed leaves and stems of Aspalathus linearis contain a new diastereomeric pair of the flavanones, (S)- and (R)-eriodictyol-6-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside, which is also formed via the oxidative cyclization of the dihydrochalcone, aspalathin, under conditions which mimic the fermentation process [4].
• Moreover, the reduction of OVA-induced antibody production in serum of the cyclosporin A (CyA) -treated rats can be significantly restored and the IL-2 generation in murine splenocytes was stimulated, following oral administrations of Rooibos tea extract [5].

Associations of Aspalathus with chemical compounds

• Rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) was extracted by refluxing with water and 75% ethanol as a solvent [6].
• Fermentation (i.e., oxidation) of rooibos decreased the pro-oxidant activity of aqueous extracts, which was contributed to a decrease in their dihydrochalcone content [7].
• Besides the parameters characterizing hepatotoxic effect of streptozotocin, rooibos tea significantly lowered advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the plasma and in different tissues of diabetic rats, particularly MDA concentration in the lens [2].
• The TAA of unfermented rooibos (0.8 Trolox meq/g) resulted 2-fold higher than that of the fermented rooibos [8].
• These changes resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) increase in the GSH/GSSG ratio by the unprocessed, processed rooibos and unprocessed honeybush teas [9].

Gene context of Aspalathus

• Rooibos tea extract caused an increase in the generation of interleukin 2 (IL-2) both in OVA- and anti-CD3-primed splenocytes at concentrations ranging from 10 microg/ml to 1000 microg/ml [5].
• Influence of processing stages on antimutagenic and antioxidant potentials of rooibos tea [10].
• Rooibos tea contains a large amount of flavonoids and acts as a potent antioxidant [5].
• Collectively, Rooibos tea intake may be of value in prophylaxis of the diseases involving a severe defect in Th1 immune response such as cancer, allergy, AIDS, and other infections [5].

References