Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG): Chemical and biomedical perspectives

The polyphenolic compound (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the major catechin found in green tea and is thought to impart many of the health benefits attributed to this beverage. The latest clinical studies have supported some of the potential health benefits of consuming green tea and EGCG....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Phytochemistry (Oxford) 2006-09, Vol.67 (17), p.1849-1855
Main Authors: Nagle, Dale G., Ferreira, Daneel, Zhou, Yu-Dong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anticarcinogenic Agents - pharmacology
Anticarcinogenic Agents - therapeutic use
Antioxidants - pharmacology
Antioxidants - therapeutic use
Biological and medical sciences
Camellia sinensis
Cancer chemoprevention
Catechin - analogs & derivatives
Catechin - pharmacology
Catechin - therapeutic use
Catechins
Chemical constitution
Clinical trials
EGCG
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate
Flavonols
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General pharmacology
Green tea
Humans
Medical sciences
Molecular Structure
Neoplasms - prevention & control
Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Plant physiology and development
Skin - drug effects
Tea - chemistry
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The polyphenolic compound (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the major catechin found in green tea and is thought to impart many of the health benefits attributed to this beverage. The latest clinical studies have supported some of the potential health benefits of consuming green tea and EGCG. The results from significant clinical studies and the most recent work in the area of stereoselective EGCG synthesis are described. The compound (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the major catechin found in green tea [ Camellia sinensis L. Ktze. (Theaceae)]. This polyphenolic compound and several related catechins are believed to be responsible for the health benefits associated with the consumption of green tea. The potential health benefits ascribed to green tea and EGCG include antioxidant effects, cancer chemoprevention, improving cardiovascular health, enhancing weight loss, protecting the skin from the damage caused by ionizing radiation, and others. The compound EGCG has been shown to regulate dozens of disease-specific molecular targets. Many of these molecular targets are only affected by concentrations of EGCG that are far above the levels achieved by either drinking green tea or consuming moderate doses of green tea extract-based dietary supplements. In spite of this, well-designed double-blinded controlled clinical studies have recently demonstrated the efficacy of green tea extracts and purified EGCG products in patients. Therefore, this review highlights results from what the authors believe to be some of the most clinically significant recent studies and describes current developments in the stereoselective total synthesis of EGCG.
ISSN:0031-9422
1873-3700
DOI:10.1016/j.phytochem.2006.06.020