Apoptotic effect of green tea polyphenol (EGCG) on cervical carcinoma cells

The objective of this study was to probe the apoptotic effect of green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on cervical carcinoma cells. This study was conducted in Departments of Pathology and Biochemistry, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India over a span of one and half years from January 2005 to August 2006. Caspase-3 assay was performed on monocytes isolated from cervical carcinoma patients and cultured with EGCG; cytosmears and sections from cervical carcinoma tissue cultured with EGCG were prepared for the morphological evidence of apoptosis. EGCG in a dose of 5 μg/ml and 10 μg/ml increased the caspase-3 levels in human cells. Cytosmears and sections from cervical carcinoma tissue cultured with EGCG showed better differentiation and increased number of apoptotic cells as compared to non EGCG controls. The number of such cells was increased more in 48 hours than in 24 hours. EGCG in a dose of 5 μg/ml and 10 μg/ml promoted apoptotic preparedness of human cells and induced apoptotic change in cervical carcinoma cells.