Abstract:In this study, the antioxidant, antimutagenic and in vitro anticancer effects of crude polyphenols in insect tea made from Kuding tea leaves (KMICP) on human hepatoma cells SMMC-7721 were investigated. The DPPH radical scavenging activity after treatment using 25, 50, 75, and 100 μg/mL KMICP was 27.8%, 46.6%, 85.9%, and 99.8%, respectively. KMICP at concentrations of 1.25 and 2.5 mg/plate showed antimutagenic effects on N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced mutation (49.5% and 78.1%, respectively) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-induced mutation (54.8% and 76.4%, respectively). KMICP also showed significant inhibitory activity on SMMC-7721 cells in vitro, while the growth of cancer cells was completely inhibited at 150 μg/mL concentration. By reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) conducted on KMICP-treated SMMC-7721 cells, it was found that Bax, IκB-α, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 gene expression in cancer cells was increased, Bcl-2 and NF-κB gene expression was decreased, and the effect of high-concentration KMICP was more significant than that of low-concentration KMICP. These results demonstrate that KMICP shows good in vitro antioxidant, antimutagenic, and anticancer properties.
