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Published on: June 8, 2015
Effect of dietary Polyphenon E and EGCG on lung tumorigenesis in A/J Mice
Qi Zhang1, Huijing Fu, Jing Pan
1Department of Surgery and Alvin J Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8109, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Purpose:
To compare the chemopreventive efficacy of Polyphenon E (Poly E), (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and Polyphenon E without EGCG (Poly E-EGCG) on the development of benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P)-induced lung tumors in A/J mice.
Methods:
Female A/J mice were given a single intraperitoneal injection of B(a)P (100 mg/kg body weight). One week after B(a)P injection, animals received AIN-76A purified powder diet containing 0.975% (wt/wt) EGCG, 0.525% (wt/wt) Poly E-EGCG or 1.5% (wt/wt) Poly E for 24 weeks or control diet with no additives.
Results:
Poly E treatment significantly decreased tumor multiplicity by 52% and tumor load by 64%, while EGCG and Poly E-EGCG did not significantly inhibit lung tumor multiplicity. EGCG was more stable in a complex mixture (Poly E) than as a pure compound.
Conclusion:
EGCG was ineffective when administered by diet likely due to its instability. Thus, EGCG's efficacy on mice lung tumorigenesis requires the presence of other tea catechins.