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Review
. 2018 Sep 13;23(9):2346.
doi: 10.3390/molecules23092346.

Bioavailability of Tea Catechins and Its Improvement

Zhuo-Yu Cai  1 , Xu-Min Li  2 , Jin-Pei Liang  3 , Li-Ping Xiang  4 , Kai-Rong Wang  5 , Yun-Long Shi  6 , Rui Yang  7 , Meng Shi  8 , Jian-Hui Ye  9 , Jian-Liang Lu  10 , Xin-Qiang Zheng  11 , Yue-Rong Liang  12
Affiliations
Review

Bioavailability of Tea Catechins and Its Improvement

Zhuo-Yu Cai et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Many in vitro studies have shown that tea catechins had vevarious health beneficial effects. However, inconsistent results between in vitro and in vivo studies or between laboratory tests and epidemical studies are observed. Low bioavailability of tea catechins was an important factor leading to these inconsistencies. Research advances in bioavailability studies involving absorption and metabolic biotransformation of tea catechins were reviewed in the present paper. Related techniques for improving their bioavailability such as nanostructure-based drug delivery system, molecular modification, and co-administration of catechins with other bioactives were also discussed.

Keywords: Camellia sinensis; bioavailability; catechins; interaction; nanoparticle.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of metabolism of green tea catechins [28,32,33,37].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Molecular structures of (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and EGCG-based prodrugs and analogs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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