Brick tea and its health impact

Tea bush is one of the plants cultivated in acidic soil, and is a typical hyper-accumulator of F and Al. Brick tea is a kind of brick-formed tea compressed using the older and coarse leaves and branches of tea trees. Brick tea mixed with milk is drunk as a daily indispensable beverage for Mongols, Ewenki, and other minority nationalities in the pastoral and semi-pastoral areas of Northwest China. It is reported that drinking brick tea can result in dental and skeletal fluorosis due to the high F content in it. Because Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） is related with Al in human brain, and Al has potential toxicities for skeletal and neural systems,     

安吉白茶与不同储存年份茯砖茶对老龄小鼠脾淋巴细胞增殖功能的影响

目的：探索安吉白茶和不同储存年份茯砖茶对老龄小鼠脾淋巴细胞增殖功能的影响。方法：取安吉白茶和2015、2013、1987年产茯砖茶,分别水提取1、3、5、8、10min,分别稀释至400、200、100、50mg/ml,作用于老龄小鼠淋巴细胞,用四唑盐（MTT）比色法测其促增殖能力,比较其作用。结果：不同储存年份茯砖茶与安吉白茶水提取液均能促老龄小鼠脾淋巴细胞增殖,并表现出一定的量效关系。2015、2013、1987年产茯砖茶对老龄小鼠脾淋巴细胞促进增殖作用最佳浓度为100mg/ml,提取时间分别8min、5min和5min,安吉白茶对老龄小鼠脾淋巴细胞促增殖作用最佳浓度为50mg/ml,提取时间为5min。不同储存年份茯砖茶促增殖能力依次为2015年＞2013年＞1987年,2015年产茯砖茶最佳促增殖能力与安吉白茶最佳促增殖能力相当。结论：安吉白茶与不同储存年份茯砖茶可能通过促进老龄小鼠脾淋巴细胞增殖调节细胞免疫抗免疫抗衰老,安吉白茶最佳促增殖能力与2015年茯砖茶效果相似,茯砖茶水提取液促老龄小鼠脾淋巴细胞增殖能力随着储存年份的增加而减弱。     

香葛茯茶主要药效学研究

目的：对香葛茯茶的主要药效学进行研究。方法：通过观察香葛茯茶对自由饮食实验小鼠体质量、摄食量以及食物利用率方面的影响研究其促消化功效;通过观察香葛茯茶对实验小鼠脾指数和胸腺指数的影响研究其对免疫功能的调节作用;通过观察香葛茯茶对实验大鼠排便情况的影响研究其促排便的功效;通过观察香葛茯茶对自发性高血压大鼠（SHR）模型收缩压的影响研究其对血压的调节作用。结果：香葛茯茶能够显著降低自由饮食小鼠的体质量和食物利用率,与空白对照组比较,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05或P<0.01）;香葛茯茶能增加小鼠胸腺指数与脾指数,与空白对照组比较,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）;香葛茯茶在给药4周后能够略微降低SHR尾动脉收缩压（SP）,与模型对照组比较,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。结论：香葛茯茶具有减肥、增强免疫、促消化的作用,长期饮用还具有调节血压的功效。     

The characteristics of dissolution of fluoride and aluminum from brick tea

Four experiments have been done on the influence of times of infusion, temperature, time and ratio of tea to water on the dissolving characteristics of fluoride and aluminum in brick tea. According to the results, the behaviors of F and Al which found their way into tea liquor were analyzed and the conclusions have been drawn： the dissolution of F and Al is not synchronous and after the elements find their way into tea liquor respectively, they will be reset to form complexes of F and Al.     

Analysis of F, Al, Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu, Ca and Mg concentrations in brick teas from main producing areas in China

Brick-tea-type fluorosis is a peculiar endemic disease in China, which had been discovered in minority areas of western China since 1980, and distributed mainly in Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Xinjiang, Qinghai and parts of Sichuan Province. The prevalence rate of fluorosis in Tibetan and Mongolian nationality people was higher. Epidemiological investigation showed that fluorosis morbidity and degrees were different in different brick-tea drinking areas, and it was probably caused by drinking various kinds of brick tea from different regions. Therefore, we collected 33 samples of brick tea from six provinces where minority nationalities were accustomed to drinking a large quantity of brick tea. F concentrations were determined by the combustion hydrolysis-ion selective electrode method. The results showed that among the brick teas, the F concentrations ranged from the minimum 74.1 mg/kg in Yunnan Province to the maximum 991.2 mg/kg in Sichuan Province. Besides, there was a great difference among the various kinds of brick tea, and F concentrations decreased in the order of Kang brick tea, Green brick tea, Black brick tea, Mi brick tea, Fu brick tea, Chitsu ping tea, Puerh tea, and Tuo tea. The average F concentration in brick teas was 431.92 mg/kg.     

茯砖茶对高脂血症APOE-/-小鼠瘦素抵抗的影响

目的：探讨茯砖茶对高脂血症APOE^-/-（载脂蛋白E敲除）小鼠瘦素抵抗（LR）的影响。方法：将32只8周龄APOE^-/-小鼠随机分为模型组（灌胃等体积蒸馏水）,茯砖茶低（1.44 g/kg·d）、高（2.16 g/kg·d）剂量组,阿托伐他汀组（2.88 mg/kg·d）,每组各 8 只,高脂饮食喂养并同时予以相应药物连续灌胃干预4个月。另选8只8周龄C57BL/6小鼠作为正常组,予以普通饲料喂养。比较各组小鼠体质量、腹部脂肪质量、血清血脂［三酰甘油（TG）、总胆固醇（TC）、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（LDL-C）、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（HDL-C）］、瘦素（LEP）、胰岛素（INS）、脂联素（ADP）;HE染色比较各组脂肪组织细胞差异,免疫组化比较各组脑组织瘦素受体（LEPR）表达;RT-qPCR检测各组小鼠脂肪组织中LEP、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α)、白细胞介素-6（IL-6）的mRNA表达。结果：与模型组比较,茯砖茶高、低剂量组体质量,腹部脂肪质量,血清TG、TC、LDL-C、LEP、INS水平及脂肪组织中的LEP、TNF-α、IL-6的mRNA表达均下降,脂肪细胞体积均减小,细胞排列较为有序（P＜0.01或P＜0.05）,HDL-C、ADP水平及下丘脑中LEPR表达均升高（P＜0.05）。结论：茯砖茶可以通过改善LR,对抗高脂血症,其作用机制可能与其能调控脂肪组织LEP、ADP的释放及血清INS含量,增强下丘脑组织中LEPR的表达有关。