Regeneration of Coenzyme Q₉ Redox State and Inhibition of Oxidative Stress by Rooibos Tea (Aspalathus linearis) Administration in Carbon Tetrachloride Liver Damage
 

J. KUCHARSKÁ¹, O. ULIČNÁ¹, A. GVOZDJÁKOVÁ¹, Z. SUMBALOVÁ¹,
O. VANČOVÁ¹, P. BOŽEK², M. NAKANO³, M. GREKSÁK⁴

 ¹Pharmacobiochemical Laboratory, School of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, ²Department of Biochemistry and Hematology, State Hospital, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, ³Institute of Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan, ⁴Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Ivanka pri Dunaji, Slovak Republic

Received August 27, 2003
Accepted October 24, 2003



Summary
The effect of rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) on liver antioxidant status and oxidative stress was investigated in rat model of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage. Synthetic antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) was used for comparison. Administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) for 10 weeks decreased liver concentrations of reduced and oxidized forms of coenzyme Q₉ (CoQ₉H₂ and CoQ₉), reduced a-tocopherol content and simultaneously increased the formation of malondialdehyde (MDA) as indicator of lipid peroxidation. Rooibos tea and NAC administered to CCl₄-damaged rats restored liver concentrations of CoQ₉H₂ and a-tocopherol and inhibited the formation of MDA, all to the values comparable with healthy animals. Rooibos tea did not counteract the decrease in CoQ₉, whereas NAC was able to do it. Improved regeneration of coenzyme Q₉ redox state and inhibition of oxidative stress in CCl₄-damaged livers may explain the beneficial effect of antioxidant therapy. Therefore, the consumption of rooibos tea as a rich source of natural antioxidants could be recommended as a market available, safe and effective hepatoprotector in patients with liver diseases.


Key words
CCl₄-liver damage · Oxidative stress · Rooibos tea · Coenzyme Q₉ · a-tocopherol