Cancer Letters
Volume 224, Issue 2 , Pages 193-202, 28 June 2005

Inhibition of tumour promotion in mouse skin by extracts of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia), unique South African herbal teas

  • Jeanine Marnewick

      Affiliations

    • PROMEC Unit, Medical Research Council, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +27 21 938 0289; fax: +27 21 938 0260.
    • ,
  • Elizabeth Joubert

      Affiliations

    • ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Private Bag X5026, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa
    • ,
  • Shamiel Joseph

      Affiliations

    • PROMEC Unit, Medical Research Council, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
    • ,
  • Sonja Swanevelder

      Affiliations

    • Biostatistic Unit, Medical Research Council, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
    • ,
  • Pieter Swart

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biochemistry, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
    • ,
  • Wentzel Gelderblom

      Affiliations

    • PROMEC Unit, Medical Research Council, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa

Received 27 September 2004; received in revised form 30 October 2004; accepted 4 November 2004.

Abstract 

The modulating effect of ethanol/acetone (E/A) soluble fractions, prepared from methanolic extracts of processed and unprocessed rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia) as well as green (Camellia sinensis) teas was established in a two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis assay. Topical application of the tea fractions prior to the tumour promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), on ICR mouse skin initiated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) suppressed skin tumorigenesis significantly (P<0.001) with the green tea E/A fraction exhibiting a 100% inhibition, unprocessed honeybush 90%, processed honeybush 84.2%, processed rooibos 75% and unprocessed rooibos 60%. The green tea fraction, with the highest flavanol/proanthocyanidin content, also exhibited the highest protective activity (99%) against hepatic microsomal lipid peroxidation, and completely inhibited skin tumour formation. Differences in the flavanol/proanthocyanidin and flavonol/flavone composition and/or non polyphenolic constituents are likely to be important determinants in the inhibition of tumour promotion by the herbal tea E/A fractions in mouse skin.

Keywords: Rooibos, Honeybush, TPA, Chemoprevention

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PII: S0304-3835(04)00868-7

doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2004.11.014

Cancer Letters
Volume 224, Issue 2 , Pages 193-202, 28 June 2005

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