As the most abundant component in black tea, thearubigins (TRs) contribute a lot to black tea’s characteristic color, mouthfeel, and potential health benefits. But compared to lower molecular weight black tea polyphenols, there are fewer researches that focus on TRs because of their heterogeneity. This review summarized recent research progress on (1) isolation method of TRs; (2) structure analysis and formation mechanism of TRs; (3) biofunctions of TRs, including antioxidation, antimutagenic and anticancer effects, effects on mitochondrial activation, gastrointestinal motility and skeletal health, to show some future research aspects and prospects of TRs.

作为红茶中最丰富的成分，茶红素（TRs）对红茶的特征颜色，口感和潜在的健康益处做出了很大贡献。但是与低分子量的红茶多酚相比，由于TRs的异质性，因此很少有研究关注TRs。本文综述了（1）TR隔离方法的最新研究进展；（2）TRs的结构分析和形成机理；（3）TRs的生物功能，包括抗氧化，抗突变和抗癌作用，对线粒体活化，胃肠蠕动和骨骼健康的影响，以显示TRs的一些未来研究方面和前景。