In vitro hypoglycaemic and hypolipidemic potential of white tea polyphenols.

The leaves at different processing stages of a single tea cultivar in order to obtain white (WT), green (GT) and black tea (BT) samples, were analysed. The capacities of tea polyphenolics to influence the glucose and lipid metabolism in HepG2 cell lines were evaluated. WT appeared the most active in reducing the glucose and cholesterol uptake (+17.7% and +32.4% in the glucose and cholesterol cell medium concentration, respectively). Incubation with WT enhanced LDL receptor binding activity by 40% (+20% for GT and +0% for BT) and led to an increase in HDL cell medium concentration of 33.3% (+20% for GT and +0% for BT). Finally, WT revealed the best inhibition capacity against lipase activity, and triglyceride levels in the cell medium increased by 400% (+382.6% for GT and +191.3% for BT). The present study intended to contribute to the little knowledge about the potential health benefits of white tea in individuals affected by metabolic syndrome.