A review on anti-cancer effect of green tea catechins
Zhe Cheng Journal of Functional Foods Volume 74, November 2020, 104172
Highlights
• Combining tea catechins with phytochemicals or drugs can enhance anti-cancer effect.
• The delivery systems for tea catechins can promote bioavailability.
• The structural modification of tea catechins can obtain stable and specific active molecules.
• The mechanisms of tea catechins-mediated cancer prevention in various cancer types were summarized.
This article reviewed inhibitory activities of green tea catechins (GTCs) against various tumorigenesis and their suppressive effects on cancer cell progression, metastasis, and angiogenesis according to a great number of kinds of literature, and then summarized the mechanisms of tea catechins-mediated cancer prevention in various cancer types.
Special emphasis was placed on summarizing recent research highlighting the related techniques in improving GTCs’ effectiveness in the prevention of tumor progression and/or treatment of cancers. Synergistic effects of catechins when combined with other phytochemicals and drugs, nanostructure- based delivery system, and molecular modifications of EGCG and catechins as means were discussed, and thus provide the basis to better utilize GTCs as the main ingredient of functional foods to reduce the risk of human cancer.