Metabolism of green tea catechins by the human small intestine

Numerous studies have shown that green tea polyphenols can be degraded in the colon, and there is abundant knowledge about the metabolites of these substances that appear in urine and plasma after green tea ingestion. However, there is very little information on the extent and nature of intestinal degradation of green tea catechins in humans. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine in detail the microbial metabolism and chemical stability of these polyphenols in the small intestine using a well-established ex vivo model. For this purpose, fresh ileostomy fluids from two probands were incubated for 24 h under anaerobic conditions with (+)-catechin (C), (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-epicatechin 3-O-gallate (ECG), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (-)-epigallocatchin 3-O-gallate (EGCG) and gallic acid (GA). After lyophilisation and extraction, metabolites were separated, identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and HPLC-ESI-tandem mass spectrometry. Two metabolites of EC and C (3', 4', 5'-trihydroxyphenyl-γ-valerolactone and 3', 4'-dihydroxyphenyl-γ-valerolactone) were identified. In addition, 3', 4', 5'-trihydroxyphenyl-γ-valerolactone was detected as a metabolite of EGC, and (after 24-h incubation) pyrogallol as a degradation product of GA. Cleavage of the GA esters of EGCG and ECG was also observed, with variations dependent on the sources (probands) of the ileal fluids, which differed substantially microbiotically. The results provide new information about the degradation of green tea catechins in the gastrointestinal tract, notably that microbiota-dependent liberation of GA esters may occur before these compounds reach the colon.