EFFECTS OF TEA POLYPHENOLS ON BLOOD RHEOLOGY IN RATS FED A HIGH-FAT DIET

Blood theology plays a very important role in microcirculation. Making use of a new device that simulates capillaries, preliminary studies have been made on the influence of tea catechins in blood theology. A high fat diet containing catechins was administered to rats for certain periods and the flow properties of red blood cells (RBCs) were examined. Tea catechins tended to prevent the transit time of RBCs-plasma suspension from increasing when the high fat diet was fed to rats for a long period. The transit time of RBCs-buffer suspension, however, was almost the same regardless of whether or not the animals received catechins. In addition, no significant differences in the hematological properties of the RBCs were observed. These results imply that the flow properties of RBCs are closely related to the disposition of plasma. It was found that tea catechins prevent plasma triglyceride levels from increasing by interrupting lipid absorption. It is likely that the plasma lipids influence the flow properties of RBCs.