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Green Tea Antioxidant May Fight Rheumatoid Arthritis

By Dale Kiefer
Life Extension, August 2007

The green tea antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) offers hope as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, according to a recent presentation by University of Michigan scientists at the Experimental Biology 2007 meeting in Washington, DC.¹ Rheumatoid arthritis is a potentially debilitating condition characterized by inflammation and the degeneration of joint tissues. Earlier studies have documented the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of EGCG and have suggested its potential role in fighting conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.²

In the recent study, joint tissue cells from adults with rheumatoid arthritis were cultured with or without EGCG. They were then exposed to the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta, an immune system protein that instigates joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis. EGCG-treated cells were inhibited from producing several inflammatory compounds that are associated with joint tissue destruction. As expected, cells that were not pretreated with EGCG produced damaging inflammatory compounds.

"EGCG may be of potential therapeutic value in regulating the joint destruction in [rheumatoid arthritis]," concluded the scientists.³

References:

1. Available at: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=24333. Accessed May 15, 2007.
2. Zaveri NT. Green tea and its polyphenolic catechins: medicinal uses in cancer and noncancer applications. Life Sci. 2006 Mar 27;78(18):2073-80.
3. Availabe at: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/30/health/webmd/main2743971.shtml. Accessed May 15, 2007.

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