Abstract
The present study was undertaken to investigate the potential of green and black teas to modulate restraint stress-induced oxidative changes in male Wistar albino rats. Repeated immobilization for 4 h daily for five consecutive days per week (for 2 and 4 weeks) was used as a test model. Repeated immobilization stress significantly decreased glutathione (GSH), RNA and total protein levels, while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were elevated in brain and liver tissues. Daily drinking of green or black tea only attenuated the RNA decrease and the MDA increase in stressed groups in liver tissues. Green tea group attenuated the decrease in GSH and RNA and the increase in MDA induced by immobilization stress in brain tissues. However, black tea only attenuated the increase in brain MDA in stressed animals. The effect of green tea on restraint stress was higher in brain than liver. In conclusion, the present results revealed that the antioxidative effect of green tea during immobilization stress was higher, possibly attributed to the presence of relatively higher concentrations of flavonoids than in black tea.