Abstract:

The active components of tea seed oil and its antioxidant activity were studied. The contents of three unsaturated fatty acids （oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid） and α-tocopherol in Camellia Sinensis and Camellia Oleifera Abel seed oils from different producing areas, as well as the Camellia Japonica seed oil were analyzed by chromatography. Results show that the total content of three kinds of unsaturated fatty acids is 83.72%, and the content of α-tocopherol is 1.33 mg/g for the Camellia Camellia Sinensis （dark tea） seed oil, which values are higher that of the other kinds of seed oils. Moreover, the scavenging abilities of Camellia Sinensis （dark tea） seed oil for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl （DPPH）, 2,2’-azino-bis（3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonicacid） （ABTS） and hydroxyl radicals were tested, and the results show that at a mass concentration of 0.15 g/mL, the scavenging rates to DPPH and ABTS radicals are 93.08% and 94.85%, respectively. While the scavenging rate to hydroxyl radicals is 91.25% at a mass concentration of 0.3 g/mL, which shows a better radical scavenging effect than other tea seed oils. In addition, the inhibitory effects of Camellia Sinensis （dark tea） seed oil on hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative stress and senescence of human fibroblasts （HFF-1） were also determined. The results of cell proliferation test, reactive oxygen species （ROS） test and β-galactosidase staining experiment show that Camellia Sinensis （dark tea） seed oil has a certain inhibitory effect on hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in HFF-1 cells at mass concentrations of 10 to 50 μg/mL, exhibiting antioxidant and anti-aging activities.

Key words: Camellia Sinensis （dark tea） seed oil, free radicals, antioxidant