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The component of green tea, L-theanine protects human hepatic L02 cells from hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis

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Abstract

L-theanine is a natural amino acid in green tea and it has been well known for its activities of relieving depression and neuroprotection. However, cytoprotective effect and its mechanism of L-theanine on hepatocytes have not been reported. The objective of this work was to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of L-theanine as well as its mechanism by using the human hepatic L02 cells injured by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Results showed that L-theanine dose dependently decreased H2O2-induced cell viability loss and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. L-theanine pretreatment improved nuclear morphology of the cells injured by H2O2. By using flow cytometric analysis, we found that L-theanine significantly inhibited H2O2-induced cell apoptosis. Further, L-theanine attenuated H2O2-induced reduction in pro-caspase3 and cleavage of poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP). H2O2-activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was also inhibited by L-theanine. These data suggest that L-theanine could protect L02 cells against H2O2-induced apoptosis via suppression of p38 MAPK. L-theanine might potentially be useful in the prevention and treatment of liver diseases.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Nos. 81072433 and 31071000) and a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medicine Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, No. 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210046, People’s Republic of China

    Guilan Li, Jingjing Kang, Xiangyang Yao, Yinqiang Xin, Qi Wang & Zhimin Yin

  2. State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing University, No. 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, People’s Republic of China

    Yin Ye & Lan Luo

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  1. Guilan Li
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  2. Jingjing Kang
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  3. Xiangyang Yao
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  4. Yinqiang Xin
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  5. Qi Wang
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  6. Yin Ye
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  7. Lan Luo
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  8. Zhimin Yin
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Correspondence to Lan Luo or Zhimin Yin.

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Li, G., Kang, J., Yao, X. et al. The component of green tea, L-theanine protects human hepatic L02 cells from hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis. Eur Food Res Technol 233, 427–435 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-011-1534-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-011-1534-5

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