Tea is one of the most broadly distributed beverages in the world, which is prepared
from the dried leaves of Camellia sinensis. Polyphenols in the form of catechins, the abundant metabolites of tea are considered
to be responsible for a number of biological activities including cancer therapy and
anti-inflammatory effect [1–4]. Fifteen glycolipids including two glycerosulfoquinovolipids,
nine glycerogalactoolipids and four sphingoglucolipids were isolated and identified
for the first time from green tea. The reported anti-inflammatory, anticancer and
anti-HIV activities of these types of agents open a debate on their role in the activities
associated with green tea.
Acknowledgement: The work was supported by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Specific
Cooperative Research Agreement Number 5U01FD002071–08. References: [1] Velayutham P, Babu A, et al. (2008) Current Medicinal Chemistry 15: 1840–1850.
[2] Chopade VV, Phatak AA, et al. (2008) Pharmacognosy Reviews 2: 157–162. [3] Boon
HS, Olatunde, F, et al. (2007) BioMed Central Womens Health 7: 1–7. [4] Thielecke
F, Boschmann M (2009) Phytochemistry 70: 11–24.
P73, Fig.1
