Green tea supplementation in mice mitigates senescence-induced changes in brain antioxidant abilities

Catechin composition of green tea extract and its anti-senescence effect was investigated with a study of senescence-related redox imbalance in the brains of aged mice. Oral administration of green tea extract at doses of 125, 625 and 1250 mg/kg for 4 weeks alleviated the senescence-mediated redox imbalance, as observed from the significantly reduced (p < 0.05) levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in the serum and increased glutathione (GSH) and total thiol levels in the plasma compared with that in the aged control group. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione reductase (GSH-Rd) in the brain were also increased, whereas protein carbonyls were reduced. Taken together, these results clearly indicate that green tea extract exhibits potent protective effects against senescence-mediated redox imbalance in the brains of mice by inhibiting oxidative damage and increasing antioxidant enzyme activities.