title: Tea derived galloylated polyphenols cross-link purified gastrointestinal mucins.
abstract: Polyphenols derived from tea are thought to be important for human health. We show using a combination of particle tracking microrheology and small-angle neutron scattering that polyphenols acts as cross-linkers for purified gastrointestinal mucin, derived from the stomach and the duodenum. Both naturally derived purified polyphenols, and green and black tea extracts are shown to act as cross-linkers. The main active cross-linking component is found to be the galloylated forms of catechins. The viscosity, elasticity and relaxation time of the mucin solutions experience an order of magnitude change in value upon addition of the polyphenol cross-linkers. Similarly small-angle neutron scattering experiments demonstrate a sol-gel transition with the addition of polyphenols, with a large increase in the scattering at low angles, which is attributed to the formation of large scale (>10 nm) heterogeneities during gelation. Cross-linking of mucins by polyphenols is thus expected to have an impact on the physicochemical environment of both the stomach and duodenum; polyphenols are expected to modulate the barrier properties of mucus, nutrient absorption through mucus and the viscoelastic microenvironments of intestinal bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Biological Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; ISIS Facility, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Pantelis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Georgiades
authors.affiliation: Strategic Science Group, Unilever Discover, Unilever, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Paul D A
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Pudney
authors.affiliation: ISIS Facility, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Matrix Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Michael Smith Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.affiliation: Biological Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Photon Science Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Waigh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002392:Catechin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004548:Elasticity; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009077:Mucins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D033363:Neutron Diffraction; D044367:Phase Transition; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle; D012996:Solutions; D013552:Swine; D013662:Tea / Q000737:chemistry*; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D009077:Mucins; D010636:Phenols; D059808:Polyphenols; D012996:Solutions; D013662:Tea; C074269:Sunphenon; D002392:Catechin; C045651:epigallocatechin gallate