title: Effect of Diabetea tea ™ consumption on inflammatory cytokines and metabolic biomarkers in type 2 diabetes patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diabetea tea™ (DT) is an anti-diabetic alternative medicine in some Asian countries. The main constituent of DT is black tea originating from Camellia sinensis that is supplemented by 12 other medicinal plants. Black tea contains a large amount of the flavonoids catechins especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidative capacity. This study was undertaken to evaluate the possible effects of DT intake on inflammatory cytokines, regulatory T cells (Tregs) and metabolic biomarkers in T2DM.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 50 patients with T2DM. The patients had received 3 cups (600ml) of DT extract or placebo (PL) extract per day during a period of 12 weeks. Intracellular cytokine expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) as well as the glycemic and lipid profiles were measured at baseline and after the treatment period. The active constituents of the medicinal plants included in DT were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ingestion of DT suppressed CD4+ T cell expression of IL-1β and Il-8 (p<0.05) and up-regulated the expression of IL-10 and the Treg/IL-17 ratio (p<0.05) which was not shown in PL. A significant decrease in HbA1c and LDL was observed at the end of the study period (p<0.05) in DT. The GC/MS analyses of DT indicated the presence of lupeol, β-Amyrin and β-sitosterol. Also analyses of individual herbs showed the presence of higher levels of lupeol and β-Amyrin in Nuga Ficus bengalensis and β-sitosterol in the Attikka Ficus racemosa, indicating that the active ingredients of DT are concentrated in these two herbs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study provides evidence that DT has hypoglycemic and antihyperlipidemic properties. Interestingly, DT has anti-inflammatory effects. These properties are attributed to the flavonoids, triterpenes and phytosterol contents of the tea. We suggest that DT protects against diabetes complications in the long term.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait. Electronic address: fadia@hsc.edu.kw.
authors.forename: Fadia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait. Electronic address: eozairi@hsc.edu.kw.
authors.forename: Ebaa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Al-Ozairi
authors.affiliation: Summative Synergy Pharmaceutical Group (SSPG) LLC, San Diego California, USA. Electronic address: ddhaines2002@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haines
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kuwait University, Kuwait. Electronic address: novotny@hsc.edu.kw.
authors.forename: Ladislav
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Novotny
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait. Electronic address: aad@hsc.edu.kw.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dashti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait. Electronic address: basel@hsc.edu.kw.
authors.forename: Basel
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary. Electronic address: abdel-hamid@hsc.edu.kw.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdel-Hamid
mesh_terms: D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Berberine; Beta amyrin; Beta sitosterol; Cinnamaldehyde; Cytokines; Diabetes; Diosgenin; Hyperglycemia; Linoleic acid; Lipoproteins; Lupeol; Regulatory T cells; The following phytochemical compounds were identified as particularly relevant to the antihypoglycemic effects described in the present report: Caffeine; Vitamin E (α-, β- and γ-tocopherols)