Epigallocatechin gallate , also known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate, is the ester of epigallocatechin and gallic acid, and is a type of catechin. EGCG is the most abundant catechin in tea and is a potent antioxidant that may have therapeutic applications in the treatment of many disorders (e.g. cancer). It is found in green tea, but not black tea; during black tea production, the catechins are converted to theaflavins and thearubigins. It is also found in various vegetables, nuts, as well as carob powder at 109mg per 100g. In a high temperature environment, an epimerization change is more likely to occur; however as exposure to boiling water for 30 straight minutes leads to only a 12.4% reduction in the total amount of EGCG, the amount lost in a brief exposure is insignificant. In fact, even when special conditions were used to create temperatures well above that of boiling water, the amount lost increased only slightly. EGCG can be found in many supplements. Pharmacology EGCG is an inhibitor of the enzymes: Histone acetyltransferase DNA methyltransferase Fatty acid synthase Glutamate dehydrogenase Topoisomerase I and II and antagonises the Epidermal growth factor receptor 1 and Epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Research on potential therapeutic uses EGCG has been the subject of a number of studies investigating its potential use as a therapeutic for a broad range of disorders: HIV A large amount of research has been conducted investigating the benefit of EGCG from green tea in the treatment of HIV infection, where EGCG has been shown to reduce plaques related to AIDS-related dementia in the laboratory, as well as block gp120. However, these effects have yet to be confirmed in live human trials, and it does not imply that green tea will cure or block HIV infection, but it may help regulate viral load as long as it is not involved in adverse drug reactions. The concentrations of EGCG used in the studies could not be reached by drinking green tea. More study into EGCG and HIV is currently underway. Cancer There is increasing evidence to show that EGCG -- along with other flavonoids -- can be beneficial in treating brain, prostate, cervical and bladder cancers. EGCG has been shown to bind and inhibit the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xl, which has been implicated in both cancer cell and normal cell survival. Chronic fatigue syndrome Research at Panjab University Chandigarh found that EGCG is effective in various mouse models of chronic fatigue syndrome. Sjögren's syndrome Research at Medical College of Georgia found that EGCG was effective in a mouse model of Sjögren's syndrome. Endometriosis Xu et al. found that EGCG reduce lesion size in a mouse model of endometriosis. Spinal muscular atrophy Sakla and Lorson found that EGCG increases the number of SMN transcripts in spinal muscular atrophy cells, most probably through modulation of alternative splicing. Neurodegeneration EGCG is a natural chelator and has been shown to reduce iron-accumulation in instances of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. Parc de Salut Mar and Instituto Hospital del Mar de Investigaciones Médicas in Spain are conducting a clinical trial of EGCG as a potential treatment for intellectual impairment in people with Down Syndrome and Fragile X Cannabinoid 1 receptor, CB1 receptor Activity EGCG has a binding affinity of Ki=33.6μM towards the first cannabinoid receptor, CB1. Periapical lesions There are in vitro data about theurapeutic potential of EGCG in periapical periodontitis. Drug interactions A study using mouse models at the University of Southern California showed that, in contrast to the myriad benefits commonly associated with green tea and green tea extract (GTE), EGCG binds with the anti-cancer drug Velcade, significantly reducing its bioavailability and thereby rendering it therapeutically useless. Schönthal, who headed the study, suggests that consumption of green tea and GTE products be strongly contraindicated for patients undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. EGCG may reduce the bioavailability of the drug sunitinib when they are taken together. EGCG was also found to induce apoptosis in endometrial carcinoma cell line (Ishikawa cells and human primary endometrial carcinoma cells) via ROS generation and p-38 activation.2012 Manohar et al., J Nutr Biochem. 2012 Sep 5 Carcinogenic potential Attribution: Article text available under CC-BY-SA sourced from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigallocatechin_gallateCreative Commons image sourced from http://wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Epigallocatechin_gallate2D.svg

• published: 18 Sep 2013
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