Protective effects of polyphenols-enriched extract from Huangshan Maofeng green tea against CCl4-induced liver injury in mice

•HMTP was isolated from the green tea of Huangshan Maofeng.•HMTP has strong free radicals-scavenging and antioxidant capacities in vitro.•HMTP was appraised as a hepatoprotective agent against CCl4-induced damage in mice.•Pathological test confirmed the protection on CCl4-caused histological alteration.•HMTP has potential to be explored as a valuable hepatoprotective function food.

The study was to characterize the polyphenolic composition, antioxidant properties, and hepatoprotective effects of a polyphenols-enriched extract (HMTP) from Huangshan Maofeng green tea. HPLC analysis showed that three predominantly polyphenolic compounds present in HMTP were epigallocatechin (271.2 μg/mg extract), rutin (239.3 μg/mg) and epicatechin (89.3 μg/mg). HMTP was shown to exhibit strong scavenging activities against DPPH, O2−, and OH, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power in vitro. Administration of HMTP at 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg bw in mice prior to CCl4 injury significantly decreased the CCl4-induced elevation of serum ALT, AST and ALP activities, and prevented an increase in hepatic MDA levels (p < 0.05). Mice with HMTP pretreatment displayed a better profile of hepatosomatic index and the improved GSH-Px and SOD activities in the liver, relative to CCl4-intoxicated mice. Liver pathological observation also confirmed the protection on CCl4-caused histological alteration, suggesting that HMTP has potential to be explored as valuable hepatoprotective function food.

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