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Green Tea
and Tissue Preservation
We’ve all heard about
cryopreservation – preserving living tissue by freezing it and storing
it at super
low temperatures. It works by stopping all biological activity,
including the biochemical reactions that would normally lead to cell
death. But the process is far from perfect. Cell injury or death can and
does occur, especially during the initial freezing and warming
stages. But now, thanks to green tea, there may be a much gentler
approach.
A researcher at
Kyoto University in Japan has demonstrated that several kinds of tissues can
actually be preserved at room temperature when immersed in a solution
containing green tea polyphenols.1 He found that tissues such as
blood vessels, cartilage, islet cells (the cells responsible for making
insulin), and corneas can be preserved for several months at room
temperature as long as they are immersed in this green tea solution.
Another study
found that rat aortas preserved for a month in a solution containing green tea
polyphenols kept their mechanical strength and were not rejected when
transplanted.2 A third study found that nerve segments stored in a
polyphenol solution reduced transplant rejections in rats.3
Considering green
tea’s potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, these
results may not be too surprising. Today, green tea extract is widely used as a
preservative in foods and cosmetics, is ten times more effective than vitamin E,
and is 2.5 times more potent than vitamin C at preventing the spoilage of fats
and oils.
Although scientists
still aren’t sure exactly how green tea polyphenols preserve living tissue, the
fact that it can do so without apparent side effects heralds an exciting new
discovery in the field of tissue transplantation.
1Hyon SH. A non-frozen living
tissue bank for allotransplantation using green tea polyphenols. Yonsei Med J
2004;45(6):1025-34.)
2Hyon SH, Kim DH, Cui W, et al. Preservation of rat aortic tissue
transplant with green tea polyphenols. Cell Transplant
2006;15(10):881-883.
3
Ikeguchi R, Kakinoki R, Okamoto T, et al. Successful storage of
peripheral nerve before transplantation using green tea polyphenol: an
experimental study in rats. Exp Neurol 2003;184(2):688-96.
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Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. presents
GreenTeaLibrary.com, the most
comprehensive collection of scientific information describing the
health benefits of green tea.
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