Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2001 Jan;5(4):150-4.
doi: 10.1007/BF02918291.

Effects of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on DNA strand breaks as evaluated by single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCG) in human lymphocytes

L Yuquan  1 , T Takeshita, K Morimoto
Affiliations

Effects of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on DNA strand breaks as evaluated by single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCG) in human lymphocytes

L Yuquan et al. Environ Health Prev Med. 2001 Jan.

Abstract

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a catechin polyphenol component, is the main ingredient of green tea extract. Although the anti-carcinogenic and cancer inhibitory effects of EGCG have been widely reported, its genotoxicity is not clear and seldom reported. In this study, we examined the effects of EGCG on DNA strand breaks in the isolated lymphocytes and whole blood lymphocytes obtained from two smoking subjects and a nonsmoking healthy subject using a single cell gel electrophoresis (SCG) assay. The results showed that after 2 hrs of treating the isolated lymphocytes from the smokers, EGCG induced a significant, increase in DNA strand breaks at concentrations from 2.5×10(-5) M to 2.0×10(-4) M, while after 2 hrs of treating the whole blood obtained from the same smokers, EGCG suppressed the DNA strand breaks in the lymphocytes at concentrations of 1.0×10(-4) M and 2.0×10(-4) M. A similar suppressive result was also shown in the whole blood lymphocytes from the nonsmoker at nearly the same concentrations, while at concentrations of 1.0×10(-3) M or 2.0×10(-3) M, EGCG induced a significant increase in DNA strand breaks in the whole blood lymphocytes from the nonsmoker. This result suggests that EGCG is not only inhibitory against DNA strand breaks in whole blood, but also genotoxic to the isolated or whole blood lymphocytes at high concentrations. Thus, more research is needed to comprehensively assess the effects of EGCG on genetic materials.

Keywords: (−)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG); Anti-carcinogenic; DNA strand breaks; Green tea; Single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCG).

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1016/S0024-3205(96)00603-0', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1016/s0024-3205(96)00603-0'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '9000119', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9000119/'}]}
    2. Asano Y, Okamura S, Ogo T, Eto T, Otsuka T, Niho Y, Effect of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate on leukemic blast cells from patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. Life Sci 1997;60: 135–42. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '8712725', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8712725/'}]}
    2. Hibasami H, Achiwa Y, Fujikawa T, Komiya T. Induction of programmed cell death (apoptosis) in human lymphoid leukemia cells by catechin compounds. Anticancer Res 1996; 16:1943–6. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1016/S0304-3835(98)00084-6', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1016/s0304-3835(98)00084-6'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '9751250', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9751250/'}]}
    2. Paschka AG, Butler R, Young CY. Induction of apoptosis in prostate cancer cell lines by the green tea component, (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate. Cancer Lett 1998;130: 1–7. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1016/S0024-3205(98)00406-8', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1016/s0024-3205(98)00406-8'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '9952285', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9952285/'}]}
    2. Otsuka T, Ogo T, Eto T, Asano Y, Suganuma M, Niho Y. Growth inhibition of leukemic cells by (−)-epigallocatechin gallate, the main constituent of green tea. Life Sci 1998;63: 1397–403. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '8608559', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8608559/'}]}
    2. Yamane T, Nakatani H, Kikuoka N, et al. Inhibitory effects and toxicity of green tea polyphenols for gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. Cancer 1996;77: 1662–7. - PubMed