"He drinks tea to forget the noise of the world”
(T’ien Yiheng)
EXPERT INSIGHT
Green tea, an enemy of cancer metabolism
Its active ingredient alters the mechanisms that allow cancer cells to use the energy available
Green tea may help suppress tumors by altering the metabolism of their cells. To reveal is a study published in the journal Metabolomics in which a group of researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute showed cje epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the active ingredient of the traditional Chinese beverage, suppresses 'expression of an enzyme crucial for tumor metabolism, lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA).
The researchers, led by Lee Wai-Nang, have discovered that EGCG exerts similar to dell'ossamato, a molecule whose ability to inhibit lactate dehydrogenase A was already known and on the basis of the results obtained have concluded that is epigallocatechin gallate that ossamato reduce the risk of developing cancer by suppressing the activity of LDHA. The importance of this study goes further than this conclusion. To date, in fact, it was thought that the fight against cancer was going through targeted action against specific molecular mechanisms, but this research opens the possibility to fight tumors by acting on the metabolic system and stresses that the metabolism can be observed by a ' totally new angle. "It is no longer a matter of glucose that enters and energy coming out - explained Lee - Now we know how it can affect the metabolism of cancer cells, and we can study how to use this knowledge to try to alter the progression of a tumor or provenirlo ".
"Explaining how the active ingredient in green tea may prevent cancer - said the expert - this study will open the door to a whole new field of cancer research and will help us understand how other foods can prevent tumors or slow the growth of cancer cells. "
Source il sole 24 ore (italian magazine)
Chemoprevention of Human Prostate Cancer by Oral Administration
of Green Tea Catechins in Volunteers with High-Grade Prostate
Intraepithelial Neoplasia: A Preliminary Report from a One-Year
Proof-of-Principle Study
1Department of Medicina Sperimentale, University of Parma, Parma; 2Urology, S. Agostino Hospital; and 3Department of Scienze Biomediche, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENT
Letter to the Editor NOT referring to a recent journal article
Chemoprevention of Human Prostate Cancer by Green Tea Catechins: Two Years Later. A Follow-up Update
Prostate cancer (CaP) progresses slowly and clinical is usually diagnosed in very elderly men.
References
[1] Caporali A, Davalli P, Astancolle S, et al. The chemopreventive
action of catechins in the TRAMP mouse model of
prostate carcinogenesis is accompanied by clusterin overexpression.
Carcinogenesis 2004;25:2217–24.
[2] Gupta S, Hastak K, Ahmad N, et al. Inhibition of prostate
carcinogenesis in TRAMP mice by oral infusion of
green tea polyphenols. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2001;
98:10350–5.
[3] Bettuzzi S, Brausi M, Rizzi F, et al. Chemoprevention of
human prostate cancer by oral administration of green
tea catechins in volunteers with high-grade prostate
intraepithelial neoplasia: a preliminary report from a
one-year proof-of-principle study. Cancer Research
2006;66:1234–40.
[4] Scattoni V, Zlotta A, Montironi R, et al. Extended and
saturation prostatic biopsy in the diagnosis and characterisation
of prostate cancer: a critical analysis of the
literature. Eur Urol 2007;52:1309–22.
[5] Sennfa¨ lt K, Carlsson P, Varenhorst E. Diffusion and economic
consequences of health technologies in prostate
cancer care in Sweden, 1991–2002. Eur Urol 2006;49:
1028–34.
DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENT