Teff (Eragrostis tef) is a grain that has long been grown in East Africa, and particularly in Ethiopia as an important crop. Its popularity is increasing in the Western world in part because it is gluten free, and is thought to contain antioxidant properties that can have a healthy influence on cells. New research has assessed the antioxidant capabilities of teff extracts on human cells. The findings have shown that teff can raise glutathione levels, and the expression of genes that are associated with glutathione pathways. Glutathione is well-known as an antioxidant. This research, which was reported in the journal Antioxidants, has also indicated that brown teff can generate higher glutathione levels than white teff.
While previous reports have demonstrated that teff has antioxidant effects in vitro, there have not been any studies that have reported data from cell models that are physiologically relevant, noted study leader Dr. Ayalew Ligaba Osena, a biologist at the University of North Carolina - Greensboro. "Human cell models are more relevant to our health. Our study used a line of human leukemia monocytic cells known as THP-1, which are widely used in disease studies."
Antioxidants can counteract the harmful effects of unstable molecules known as free radicals. Diets that contain high antioxidant levels have been associated with health benefits, such as a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The Osena lab is now looking for the brown teff varieties with the best antioxidant effects. "We are finding some promising varieties," Osena said. The investigators are also planning to identify the genes in teff that are related to the regulation and increase of its antioxidant effects, and how they might be used to engineer teff and other grains like rice to increase those beneficial effects.
Osena is especially interested in the genetic influences that are related to other favorable characteristics of teff, such as its nutritional content, antioxidant properties, and stress resilience. Teff is resilient, and could help us develop foods that it will still be possible to grow in a changing climate.
This is personal work for Osena, who raised teff and ate it regularly on the Ethiopian farm where he grew up. Now, the aim is to create new technologies that can assist farmers who grow teff. "If we come up with significant discoveries, we can take them to the field to benefit teff producers here in the US and Africa," added Osena.
Sources: University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Antioxidants
