A new study has outlined one possible mechanism of action of tea compounds that involve the activation of ion channel proteins in the blood vessel wall, relaxing the structure and thus reducing blood pressure.
The research team identifies two catechin-type flavonoid compounds, epicatechin gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), that each activate the ion channel protein, KCNQ5.
This ion channel controls potassium ions’ movement in and out of cells determining cellular excitability and also the relaxation of blood vessels.
“We found by using computer modelling and mutagenesis studies that specific catechins bind to the foot of the voltage sensor, which is the part of KCNQ5 that allows the channel to open in response to cellular excitation,” outlines Geoffrey Abbott, a professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the UCI School of Medicine.
Compounds in green and black tea relax blood vessels by activating ion channel proteins
A new study from the University of California, Irvine shows that compounds in both green and black tea relax blood vessels by activating ion channel proteins in the blood vessel wall. The discovery helps explain the antihypertensive properties of tea and could lead to the design of new blood pressure-lowering medications.
Published in
Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry, the discovery was made by the laboratory of Geoffrey Abbott, PhD, a professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the UCI School of Medicine. Kaitlyn Redford, a graduate student in the Abbott Lab, was first author of the study titled, KCNQ5 potassium channel activation underlies vasodilation by tea.
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A new study from the University of California, Irvine shows that compounds in both green and black tea relax blood vessels by activating ion channel proteins in the blood vessel wall. The discovery helps explain the antihypertensive properties of tea and could lead to the design of new blood pressure-lowering medications.
Published in
Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry, the discovery was made by the laboratory of Geoffrey Abbott, PhD, a professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the UCI School of Medicine. Kaitlyn Redford, a graduate student in the Abbott Lab, was first author of the study titled, KCNQ5 potassium channel activation underlies vasodilation by tea.