Ingestion of Tabebuia avellanedae (Taheebo) Inhibits Production of Reactive Oxygen Species from Human Peripheral Blood Neutrophils

Abstract

Neutrophils are a main source of oxidative stress due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and the tissue damage caused by excessive ROS might lead to aging and a variety of diseases. Whereas the anti-inflammatory effects of Tabebuia avellanedae (taheebo) have been reported in vitro and in animal experiments, little is known about the effects of taheebo in humans. Fourteen adult volunteers ingested 500 mg of taheebo extract in 4 capsules (Taheebo Japan, Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan) daily for 2 weeks. The production of ROS from peripheral blood neutrophils was measured by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LmCL) in a kinetic mode at 30-minute intervals for 1.5 hours with a luminometer at 37˚C. We found that, peak and sum of values of LmCL were significantly decreased at the 1.5 hour time point after ingesting taheebo extracts for 2 weeks. In conclusion, we demonstrated that administration of Tabebuia avellanedae inhibited ROS production from human neutrophils.