Green tea catechins and cardiovascular health: an update.

Epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies have established a positive correlation between green tea consumption and cardiovascular health. Catechins, the major polyphenolic compounds in green tea, exert vascular protective effects through multiple mechanisms, including antioxidative, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-thrombogenic, and lipid lowering effects. (1) Tea catechins present antioxidant activity by scavenging free radicals, chelating redox active transition-metal ions, inhibiting redox active transcription factors, inhibiting pro-oxidant enzymes and inducing antioxidant enzymes. (2) Tea catechins inhibit the key enzymes involved in lipid biosynthesis and reduce intestinal lipid absorption, thereby improving blood lipid profile. (3) Catechins regulate vascular tone by activating endothelial nitric oxide. (4) Catechins prevent vascular inflammation that plays a critical role in the progression of atherosclerotic lesions. The anti-inflammatory activities of catechins may be due to their suppression of leukocyte adhesion to endothelium and subsequent transmigration through inhibition of transcriptional factor NF-kB-mediated production of cytokines and adhesion molecules both in endothelial cells and inflammatory cells. (5) Catechins inhibit proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells by interfering with vascular cell growth factors involved in atherogenesis. (6) Catechins suppress platelet adhesion, thereby inhibiting thrombogenesis. Taken together, catechins may be novel plant-derived small molecules for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. This review highlights current developments in green tea extracts and vascular health, focusing specifically on the role of tea catechins in the prevention of various vascular diseases and the underlying mechanisms for these actions. In addition, the possible structure-activity relationship of catechins is discussed.

流行病学、临床和实验研究已确定饮用绿茶与心血管健康之间存在正相关。儿茶素是绿茶中主要的多酚类化合物，通过多种机制发挥血管保护作用，包括抗氧化、抗高血压、抗炎、抗增殖、抗血栓形成和降脂作用。 （1）茶儿茶素通过清除自由基、螯合氧化还原活性过渡金属离子、抑制氧化还原活性转录因子、抑制促氧化酶以及诱导抗氧化酶来呈现抗氧化活性。 （2）茶儿茶素抑制参与脂质生物合成的关键酶并减少肠道脂质吸收，从而改善血脂状况。 （3）儿茶素通过激活内皮一氧化氮来调节血管张力。 （4）儿茶素可预防在动脉粥样硬化病变进展中起关键作用的血管炎症。儿茶素的抗炎活性可能是由于它们通过抑制转录因子NF -κB介导的内皮细胞和炎症细胞中细胞因子和黏附分子的产生，从而抑制白细胞与内皮的黏附以及随后的迁移。 （5）儿茶素通过干扰参与动脉粥样硬化形成的血管细胞生长因子来抑制血管平滑肌细胞的增殖。 （6）儿茶素抑制血小板黏附，从而抑制血栓形成。 综上所述，儿茶素可能是用于预防和治疗心血管疾病的新型植物源性小分子。本综述强调了绿茶提取物与血管健康的当前进展，特别关注茶儿茶素在预防各种血管疾病中的作用以及这些作用的潜在机制。此外，还讨论了儿茶素可能的构效关系。