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15 pages, 2650 KiB

Open AccessReview

by Jason T. C. Tzen

Molecules 2023, 28(9), 3961; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28093961 - 8 May 2023

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3750

Strictinin is a relatively tiny ellagitannin, which is found in many plants as a minor constituent. Catechins are known as the major constituents in the young leaves of most tea plants, while strictinin was found as a major constituent in the Pu’er tea plant. In some Pu’er tea varieties, strictinin was identified as the most abundant phenolic compound rather than catechins. In the past decade, strictinin was demonstrated to possess several functional activities, including antiviral, antibacterial, anti-obesity, laxative, anticaries, anti-allergic, antipsoriatic, antihyperuricemia, antidiabetic, and anticancer effects. These functional activities were in accordance with the therapeutic effects empirically perceived for Pu’er tea. Evidently, strictinin is the key ingredient in Pu’er tea that acts as a herbal medicine. In functionally-based applications, an instant powder of Pu’er tea infusion was formulated as an active raw material to be supplemented in food, cosmetics, and beverages; a new type of tea named Bitter Citrus Tzen Tea was developed by combining three teas empirically consumed to expel the cold, and new edible oral care products were designed for caries prevention by supplementation with Pu’er tea extract. More functional activities and practical applications of strictinin are scientifically anticipated in follow-up research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Foods)

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14 pages, 4378 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing Antipsoriatic Effects of Bitter Pu’er Tea and Its Three Major Compounds, Strictinin, Theacrine and Epigallocatechin Gallate, in Imiquimod-Treated Mice

by Pei-Yi Lin, Cian-Fen Jhuo, Nan-Hei Lin, Wen-Ying Chen and Jason T. C. Tzen

Compounds 2022, 2(4), 293-306; https://doi.org/10.3390/compounds2040024 - 1 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3350

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with hyperproliferation and aberrant differentiation of keratinocytes in association with the elevation of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and IL-23 levels. In an animal model, psoriasis-like dermatitis was induced on the shaved dorsal skin of BALB/c mice by topical application of imiquimod (IMQ), a synthetic ligand of Toll-like receptor 7. Administration of bitter Pu’er tea significantly reduced psoriasis-like dermatitis in IMQ-treated mice, including a reduction in dorsal skin lesions, splenomegaly and the mRNA expression levels of IL-17A and IL-23. To examine putative antipsoriatic constituents, three major compounds in bitter Pu’er tea, strictinin, theacrine and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), were separately given as supplements to IMQ-treated mice. The results showed that all the three compounds attenuated the severity of psoriasis by reducing epidermal thickness. Only theacrine significantly attenuated splenomegaly. All the three compounds inhibited the expression of IL-23 mRNA in the skin as well as reduced the content of IL-17A⁺CD4⁺ T cells in the spleen, and strictinin was found to be relatively effective. It seemed that the antipsoriatic activity of bitter Pu’er tea was attributed to the additive effects of its multiple active compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Compounds (2022–2023))

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