Green tea accounts for 20% of all tea consumed globally and it has long been associated with a reduced risk of cancer development. It is generally agreed that much of the chemopreventitive effects of green tea are due to its catechin compounds; (–)-Epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG) and (–)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). These polyphenolic antioxidants have been widely studied and it has been shown that they inhibit the growth of various cancer cells in culture and demonstrate antitumor activity in in vivo models.
Despite a large body of literature on the cancer-preventative mechanisms of both EGCG and ECG, review articles to date solely focus on EGCG. Min-Hsiung Pan, Jen-Kun Lin and co-workers from Taiwan and the USA have now written an excellent review for Food & Function which provides a comprehensive overview of the anti-carcinogenic effects and molecular mechanisms of ECG.
To find out more read the full article ‘Multistage carcinogenesis process as molecular targets in cancer chemoprevention by epicatechin-3-gallate’ here.
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