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Theanine and cancer: A systematic review of the literature

Sara Shojaei-Zarghani1,2,3, Maryam Rafraf2, Ahmad Yari-Khosroushahi4

  • 1Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.

Phytotherapy Research : PTR
|April 23, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Theanine, an amino acid found in tea, shows moderate anticancer effects by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting cancer cell growth and spread. Further research is needed to confirm its cancer-preventive and suppressive capabilities in living organisms.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Pharmacology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Theanine is an amino acid abundant in tea with documented health benefits.
  • Emerging research suggests potential anticarcinogen and anticancer properties of theanine.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review scientific evidence on the anticancer effects of natural theanine.
  • To consolidate findings from in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search of MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge up to January 2021.
  • Inclusion of 14 studies investigating theanine's effects on cancer cell lines and in vivo models.
  • Analysis of molecular pathways targeted by theanine.

Main Results:

  • In vitro and ex vivo studies demonstrated theanine's ability to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while promoting apoptosis.
  • In vivo studies indicated potential roles in reducing cancer incidence and progression.
  • Theanine impacts key signaling pathways including EGFR, VEGFR, Akt/mTOR, JAK2/STAT3, and ERK/NFκB, and induces apoptosis.

Conclusions:

  • Theanine exhibits moderate anticancer effects, including apoptosis induction, and inhibition of metastasis, migration, and invasion.
  • A mild antiproliferative influence was observed.
  • Further in vivo studies are required to fully elucidate theanine's cancer-preventive and suppressive mechanisms and efficacy.
Keywords:
Theanineapoptosiscancerproliferationsystematic reviewγ-Glutamilethylamid

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