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Green tea ( Camellia sinensis ) extract ameliorates endotoxin induced sickness behavior and liver damage in rats
Author(s) -
Singal Anjali,
Tirkey Naveen,
Pilkhwal Sangeeta,
Chopra Kanwaljit
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.1814
Subject(s) - sickness behavior , green tea extract , lipopolysaccharide , cytokine , antioxidant , camellia sinensis , malaise , medicine , anorexia , pharmacology , immunology , endocrinology , biology , green tea , biochemistry , food science , botany
Abstract Immune activation, either by cytokines or endotoxin, elicits a constellation of nonspecic symptoms such as weakness, malaise, listlessness, fatigue, adipsia, anorexia, depression and anxiety collectively termed as sickness behavior. Further, endotoxin administration in animals has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many types of liver disease. Green tea, a common household drink, is rich in antioxidant polyphenols demonstrating inhibitory effects on cytokine production. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of chronic treatment of green tea extract (GTE) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced sickness behavior and liver damage in rats. The hypothesis was tested through the analysis of LPS‐induced behavioral changes in rats, in plus maze and open eld paradigms. Other parameters such as feeding and water consumption, weight loss and organ weight index were also estimated. Liver function tests were conducted to investigate the effect of GTE supplementation on LPS‐induced hepatic dysfunction. The results of the study demonstrated that GTE signicantly attenuated LPS‐induced sickness behavior as well as hepatic damage either by its antioxidant activity or by inhibiting LPS induced cytokine production in rats. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.