Description

• General description: (−)-Gallocatechin gallate is a polyphenolic compound having a galloyl moiety.[1] It is an epimerized form of epigallocatechin gallate, which is common tea catechin. Epimerization of tea catechins is common upon heat treatment or pasteurization process.[2]
• Application: (−)-Gallocatechin gallate has been used:to perform the tannase activity assay of the recombinant Lactobacillus plantarum tannase enzyme[3]to study its inhibitory effects on HIV-1 integrase activity [1]to study its regulatory mechanism on cholesterol metabolism in rat liver[4]to analyze its effect as a polyphenol on human spermatozoa and their application in assisted reproductive technology[5]to study the interference in stress protective activity of cellular prion protein (PrPC) and the formation of scrapie prion protein (PrPSc)[6]
• Biochem/physiol Actions: Tea catechins like (−)-Gallocatechin gallate are known to have antiviral, antioxidative, antimutagenic and antiobesity activities.[2] It exhibits human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) integrase inhibitory activity by disturbing the interaction between the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) integrase and virus DNA.[1] GCG also shows impeding effect on the release of vero toxins (VTs) by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.[7] It displays an inhibitory effect on cholesterol absorption and is reported to be more effective than tea catechins in lowering plasma cholesterol, thus preventing atherosclerosis.[2]