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Cancer Prevention with Green Tea Polyphenols

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Cancer Chemoprevention and Treatment by Diet Therapy

Part of the book series: Evidence-based Anticancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine ((ACAM,volume 5))

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Abstract

Consumption of green tea (Camellia sinensis) has been suggested to have beneficial health effect, including cancer prevention. Extensive studies have established that the active cancer preventive constituents in green tea are a group of polyphenols. Green tea polyphenols display anticancer activity in many organ sites in different experimental models in rodents and in cultured cell lines in vitro. Treatment with green tea polyphenols leads to the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, cancer-associated angiogenesis, and metastasis, as well as the induction of cancer cell apoptosis. Experimental studies demonstrate that these activities are likely resulted from the antioxidant activity and the direct binding of green tea polyphenols to proteins, resulting in the modulation of multiple cellular signaling pathways. The findings of polyphenol binding proteins reveal the mechanisms of the effectiveness and specificity of the anticancer actions. However, the inverse association between of green tea consumption and cancer risk is supported by epidemiological studies, but not all. This inconsistence may due to the lower blood and tissue levels of polyphenols from green tea drink, and may also depend on various etiology factors. Using much higher doses, results from some interventional studies support the safety and effectiveness of green tea polyphenols in cancer prevention. Well-designed clinical studies are required to fully evaluate the usefulness of green tea polyphenols in cancer prevention.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by NIH grants CA120915, CA122474, and CA133021.

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  1. Susan L. Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Chemical Biology and Center for Cancer Prevention Research, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 164 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

    Hong Wang & Chung S. Yang

  2. Department of Mathematics, Saint Joseph College, 1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT, 06117, USA

    Hong Zhou

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  1. Hong Wang
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  2. Hong Zhou
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  3. Chung S. Yang
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Correspondence to Hong Wang .

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  1. Dept. Clinical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gascoigne Road 30, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR

    William C.S. Cho

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Wang, H., Zhou, H., Yang, C.S. (2013). Cancer Prevention with Green Tea Polyphenols. In: Cho, W. (eds) Cancer Chemoprevention and Treatment by Diet Therapy. Evidence-based Anticancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6443-9_4

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