Polyphenols are organic chemicals, characterized by the presence of multiple phenol structural groups. These organic chemicals are antioxidants that help prevent degenerative diseases; which also help protect cells from free radical damage. Having low amounts of antioxidants causes the damage to progress, leading to tissue degradation and could also cause heart disease, and cancer. Luckily, these polyphenolic compounds are found in abundant quantities within our food sources, including teas. This work aims towards extracting medicinal Peruvian teas within various solvent systems in hope to determine which compounds in each tea sample play the role of rescuing cells as well as qualifying and quantifying the presence of possible carcinogenic compounds. Continuous extractions of the teas with different solvents, such as water, ethanol, and acetone were performed for 4 hours using a Soxhlet apparatus. The extracts were then subjected to chloroform extraction to remove excess caffeine and pigments. Finally, ethyl acetate was used to extract the potential polyphenols still present in solution. All samples were then concentrated, filtered and re-suspended in the proper solvent/buffer for further analysis. Every extract was further analyzed by Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) prior to their addition to HeLa cells and subsequent incubation for 24 hours. A MTT assay was then performed to test the effects of the tea extracts on cells’ viability. Our findings allowed the narrowing down to three active teas, all which consist of herbal remedies aimed towards potential aide in illness, which gave consistent and positive results in regards to cell viability. All teas displaying activity were extracted in ethanol/acetone and specifically blended for natural relief in nerves, prostate, and stomach acid/diuresis medical problems. Further experimentation will subject the extracts to fractioning via column chromatography, where, based on polarity, one whole tea extract will be separated in parts and further analyzed.

Effect of Peruvian teas on mammalian cells

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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