Antioxidant Effect of Insect Tea

Insect tea is a popular Chinese beverage that is high in bioactive compounds. The effect of Insect tea on D-galactose-induced oxidation in mice was investigated in this chapter. The serum, liver and spleen of mice were measured by biochemical and molecular biological methods, which showed that Insect tea could increase the biochemical indexes of the thymus, brain, heart, liver, spleen and kidney in mice with induced oxidative damage. Insect tea can increase the levels of SOD (superoxide dismutase), GSH-Px (glutathione peroxidase), GSH (glutathione) and decrease the levels of MDA (malondialdehyde) in the serum, liver and spleen of mice with oxidative damage. Pathological observation also confirmed that Insect tea could inhibit oxidative damage of the liver and spleen tissue caused by D-galactose in mice. Further molecular biological experiments also showed that Insect tea could upregulate the mRNA and protein expression of Cu/Zn-SOD (cuprozinc-superoxide dismutase), Mn-SOD (manganese superoxide dismutase), CAT (catalase), HO-1 (haem oxygenase-1), Nrf2 (nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2), y-GCS (y-glutamylcysteine synthetase) and NQO1 (NAD(P)H dehydrogenase [quinone] 1) in the liver and spleen of oxidized mice. Insect tea has a good preventive effect on D-galactose-induced oxidation in mice, and the effect is better than vitamin C, an antioxidant. Insect tea is rich in isochlorogenic acid A, quercetin, rutin, hesperidin, neochlorogenic acid and cryptochlorogenic acid. These bioactive substances in combination have potent antioxidant properties. As a result, insect tea is a functional food with a high antioxidant impact that has potential for future growth and use.