Description

• General description: (−)-Epigallocatechin gallate, is a bioactive component of green tea accounting for 50-80% of the total catechin content.[1]
• Application: (−)-Epigallocatechin gallate has been used as:a potential neuroprotective agent to test its protective effect against spinal cord injury and blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) leakage[2]an effective antioxidant against light-induced photoreceptor degeneration in mice retina[3]an antioxidant in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and reduces oxidative damage and changes circadian rhythms in pigmented heterozygous P23H rat[4]to test its reversal effect on Diastolic dysfunction in restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) mice[5]an anti-cancer agent in colorectal cancer in mice[6]
• Biochem/physiol Actions: (−)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) comprises eight -hydroxyl (OH) groups that determine its high antioxidant property.[1] Other than being an efficient free oxygen radical scavenger, it also acts as a good chelating agent and a modulator of important transcription factors, namely nuclear factor-kappa β (NF-kβ).[4] EGEC is proven to be an efficient anti-obesity agent by increasing energy expenditure, fat oxidation, and lowering appetite in humans.[7] EGCG also acts as an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective agent in the initial stages of ischemia and spinal cord injury. It reduces caveolin-1 expression, maintaining blood-brain barrier integrity and downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines.[2]