Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37580785›Full record

ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2023

Characterization of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) flower extract and insights into its antifungal susceptibilities of Aspergillus flavus.

Fangfang Chen, Yu-Pei Chen, Hongtan Wu, Ya Li, Shudi Zhang, Jincheng Ke, Jeng-Yuan Yao

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
3.3field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Inhibition Mechanism ofFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Azorean Black Tea (Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Fangfang ChenDepartment of Public Health and Medical Technology, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, Fujian, 361023, China.
Yu-Pei ChenDepartment of Public Health and Medical Technology, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, Fujian, 361023, China. 201600080006@xmmc.edu.cn.
Hongtan WuDepartment of Public Health and Medical Technology, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, Fujian, 361023, China.
Ya LiDepartment of Public Health and Medical Technology, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, Fujian, 361023, China.
Shudi ZhangDepartment of Public Health and Medical Technology, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, Fujian, 361023, China.
Jincheng KeDepartment of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, Fujian, 361000, China.
Jeng-Yuan YaoDepartment of Basic Medicine, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, Fujian, 361023, China.
Xiamen Medical CollegeXiamen University of Technology · CNThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen Medical College

Funding

Educational and Scientific Research Program for Young Scholar of Educational Department of Fujian Province JAT210471Nanyuanmu (Xiamen) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. HX202205Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province 2022J011402
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTea (Camellia sinensis L.) flowers will compete with tea leaves in nutrition and are abandoned as an undesirable by-product. In this study, the biological efficacy of tea flowers was investigated. Further exploration of its antifungal activity was explained.

methodsTea flowers harvested from China were characterized in term of component, antioxidant ability, tyrosinase inhibition, and antifungal ability. Chemical compounds of tea flowers were analyzed by LC-MS. Disinfectant compounds were identified in tea flowers, and 2-ketobutyric acid exhibited antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavusCCTCC AF 2023038. The antifungal mechanism of 2-ketobutyric acid was further investigated by RNA-seq.

resultsWater-soluble tea flower extracts (TFEs) exhibited free radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2, 2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS) as well as a high ferric-reducing ability. However, no inhibition of tyrosinase activity was observed. In the antifungal test, 6.4 mg/mL TFE reached 71.5% antifungal rate and the electrical conductivity of the culture broth increased with increasing concentration of TFE, implying that it damaged the fungal cell membrane by the TFE. Several disinfectants were identified in TFE by LC-MS, and 2-ketobutyric acid was also confirmed to be capable of fungal inhibition. Propidium iodide (PI) staining indicated that 2-ketobutyric acid caused damage to the cell membrane. RNA-seq analysis revealed that 3,808 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found in A. flavus CCTCC AF 2023038 treated by 2-ketobutyric acid, and more than 1,000 DEGs involved in the integral and intrinsic component of membrane were affected. Moreover, 2-ketobutyric acid downregulated aflatoxin biosynthesis genes and decreased the aflatoxin production.

conclusionsOverall, TFE exhibited excellent antioxidant ability and fungal inhibition against A. flavus CCTCC AF 2023038 due to its abundant disinfectant compounds. As a recognized food additive, 2-ketobutyric acid is safe to use in the food industry and can be utilized as the basis for the research and development of strong fungicides.

Indexed as

Camellia sinensisFlowersPlant ExtractsAntifungal AgentsAspergillus flavusButyratesalpha-ketobutyric acidAntifungal AgentsButyratesPlant Extracts2-Ketobutyric acidAntifungal activityAspergillus flavusCamellia sinensis L.Tea flower

Identifiers

PMID37580785
PMCPMC10424394
OpenAlexW4385807495

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.