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. 2013 May 20;4(142):1000142.
doi: 10.4172/2157-2518.1000142.

Going Green: The Role of the Green Tea Component EGCG in Chemoprevention

Laura Schramm  1
Affiliations

Going Green: The Role of the Green Tea Component EGCG in Chemoprevention

Laura Schramm. J Carcinog Mutagen. .

Abstract

Tea is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide, and green tea is the least processed from the buds of the Camellia sinensis plant. The most abundant component of green tea is (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which has been the focus of many cell culture, animal and clinical trials, revealing that EGCG possesses antiproliferative, antimutagenic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and chemopreventive effects. In this review we briefly summarize the mechanism of action(s) of the green tea component EGCG, highlighting recent advances in the epigenetic regulation by EGCG. Additionally, we provide an overview of mouse chemoprevention studies and EGCG chemoprevention clinical trials.

Keywords: Cancer; Chemoprevention; EGCG; Green tea.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Chemical Structures of Major Green Tea Metabolites
A. Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG), B. Epigallocatechin (EGC), C. Epicatechin-3-Gallate (ECG), D. Epicatechin (EC). Functional groups are denoted in red. Structures created using ChemSpider, a free chemical structure database (http://www.chemspider.com/).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Epigenetic mechanisms regulating gene expression
A. Acetylation of histones by histone acetyltransferases (HATs) leads to increased gene expression, whereas histone deacetylation by histone deacetyltransferases (HDACs) leads to decreases in gene expression. B. Methylation of DNA by DNA methyl transferases (DNMTs) leads to gene silencing.
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