Production, preliminary characterization and antitumor activity (SKOV-3 cell lines) in vitro of glycans from green tea

Glycan from green tea was extracted with boiling water. The extraction temperature, extraction time and ratio of liquid to solid were optimized by using response surface methodology (RSM). The maximum yield of tea glycan extracts (2.93%) was obtained when glycans in green tea were extracted. The optimal extraction conditions for the glycans from green teas were: extracting temperature 98 °C, extracting time 50 min and rate of liquid to solid 6:1. Tea glycan, with an average molecular weight of 8.3 × 105 Da, contained rhamnose (Rha), arabian (Ara), xylose (Xyl), mannose (Man), galactose (Gal), and glucose (Glc) in molar ratios of 1.06:2.31:5.17:0.91:3.06:4.24. Ethanol extract of tea showed significantly higher antitumor activity against the SKOV-3 cells than tea glycan. These results indicate that the higher antitumor activity of ethanol extracts from tea may be related to their polyphenol contents.