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Green tea catechins: a fresh flavor to anticancer therapy

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Abstract

Green tea catechins have been extensively studied for their cancer preventive effects. Accumulating evidence has shown that green tea catechins, like (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, have strong anti-oxidant activity and affect several signal transduction pathways relevant to cancer development. Here, we review the biological properties of green tea catechins and the molecular mechanisms of their anticancer effects, including the suppression of cancer cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and inhibition of tumor metastasis and angiogenesis. We summarize the efficacy of a single catechin and the synergetic effects of multiple catechins. We also discuss the enhanced anticancer effects of green tea catechins when they are combined with anticancer drugs. The information present in this review might promote the development of strategy for the co-administration of green tea catechins with other anticancer drugs to increase the potency of currently available anticancer medicine. This new strategy should in turn lower the cytotoxicity and cost of anticancer treatment.

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Abbreviations

ACE:

Angiotensin-converting enzyme

AP-1:

Activator protein-1

Apaf-1:

Apoptosis protease activating factor-1

ARE:

Antioxidant response elements

Bad:

Bcl2 antagonist of cell death

Bax:

Bcl-2 associated x protein

Bcl-2:

B cell lymphoma-2

Bid:

BH3-interacting domain death agonist

CDKs:

Cyclin-dependent kinases

CIs:

Confidence intervals

CLL:

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia

COX-2:

Cyclooxygenase-2

CSCs:

Cancer stem cells

Cyt-c:

Cytochrome-c

EC:

(−)-Epicatechin

ECG:

(−)-Epicatechin-3-gallate

EGC:

(−)-Epigallocatechin

EGCG:

(−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate

ERK:

Extracellular-regulated protein kinase

FADD:

Fas-associated protein with death domain

FOXO:

Forkhead box protein O

GCG:

(−)-Gallocatechin gallate

GST:

Glutathione S-transferases

HBP1:

HMG box-containing protein 1

HGF/SF:

Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor

Htert:

Human telomerase reverse transcriptase

IAP:

Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins

IGF:

Insulin-like growth factor

IGFBP3:

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3

IKK:

Inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase

IL-6:

Interleukin 6

IL-8:

Interleukin 8

iNOS:

Inducible nitric oxide synthase

JNK:

c-jun N-terminal kinase

MAPK:

Mitogen activated protein kinases

mdm2:

Murine double mimute 2

MEK3:

Mitogen-activated protein kinase 3

MEKK1:

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1

MMPs:

Matrix metallo proteinases

MT1-MMP:

Membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase

NF-κB:

Nuclear factor-κB

nHDFs:

Neonatal human dermal fibroblasts

Nrf2:

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor

OR:

Odds ratio

PCNA:

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen

PI3K:

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases

Poly E:

Polyphenon E

PRAP:

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

RTK:

Receptor tyrosine kinases

RR:

Relative risk

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

Stat3:

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3

TCOP:

Tea catechin oxy-polymers

TIMP:

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor α

TRAIL:

TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

uPA:

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator

XIAP:

X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Zheng Shi and Huai-long Xu (Sichuan University) for providing constructive suggestions. We also thank Xin Li (Sichuan University) for critically reading the manuscript and Yong-ao Tong (Sichuan University) for technical assistance. This work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81173093, No. 30970643, and No. J1103518), the Special Program for Youth Science and the Technology Innovative Research Group of Sichuan Province, China (No. 2011JTD0026).

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  1. School of Life Sciences and Key Laboratory of Bio-resources, Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China

    Yang Yu, Yuan Deng, Bang-min Lu, Yong-xi Liu & Jin-ku Bao

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Jian Li

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  1. Yang Yu
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  2. Yuan Deng
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Correspondence to Jian Li or Jin-ku Bao.

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Yang Yu and Yuan Deng have contributed equally to this work.

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Yu, Y., Deng, Y., Lu, Bm. et al. Green tea catechins: a fresh flavor to anticancer therapy. Apoptosis 19, 1–18 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10495-013-0908-5

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