Abstract

One strategy to mitigate the harmful effects of chronic stress is to enrich the diet with antioxidants. Green tea is a major natural source of antioxidants, particularly due to its high catechin content. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of green tea pretreatment on restraint stress by analyzing behavioral, hormonal, biochemical, and hematological parameters in pregnant rats. Green tea was administered orally at a dose of 50 g/L (5 mL/day) during the first ten days of gestation, followed by exposure to restraint stress from gestational day 11 to 19. The results showed that stress significantly increased anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, as well as progesterone levels. Pretreatment with green tea attenuated these behavioral and hormonal changes. Stress also led to increased glucose and triglyceride levels, whereas green tea contributed to their normalization. In addition, both stress and green tea resulted in decreased total cholesterol levels, suggesting that green tea may exert a regulatory effect on carbohydrate and lipid homeostasis. Leukocytosis was observed following stress exposure, reflecting an inflammatory response that was partially attenuated by green tea pretreatment. Stress-induced hematological alterations, particularly reductions in red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit, were improved by green tea, highlighting its protective role in maintaining hematological balance.

Key words: Behavior, Green tea, Neurobehavior, Restraint stress, Wistar rats