Green Tea May Be Arthritis Therapy by NewsMax.com
A new study from the University of Michigan Health
System suggests that a compound in green tea may provide
therapeutic benefits to people with rheumatoid
arthritis.
The study, presented April 29 at the Experimental Biology 2007
in Washington, D.C., looks at a potent anti-inflammatory compound
derived from green tea. Researchers found that the compound -
called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) - inhibited the production
of several molecules in the immune system that contribute to
inflammation and joint damage in people with rheumatoid
arthritis.
The compound from green tea also was found to suppress the
inflammatory products in the connective tissue of people with
rheumatoid arthritis.
"Our research is a very promising step in the search for
therapies for the joint destruction experienced by people who have
rheumatoid arthritis," says Salah-uddin Ahmed, Ph.D., lead
researcher on the study.
To conduct the research, the scientists isolated cells called
synovial fibroblasts from the joints of patients with rheumatoid
arthritis. These fibroblasts - cells that form a lining of the
tissue surrounding the capsule of the joints - then were cultured
in a growth medium and incubated with the green tea compound.
The fibroblasts were then stimulated with pro-inflammatory
cytokine IL-1ß, a protein of the immune system known to play
an important role in causing joint destruction in people with
rheumatoid arthritis.
The researchers looked at whether the green tea compound has the
capability to block the activity of two potent molecules, IL-6 and
cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which also are actively involved in
causing bone erosion in the joints of people with rheumatoid
arthritis.
When untreated cells were stimulated with IL-1ß, a
sequence of molecular events occurred that resulted in production
of the bone-destructive molecules. But the scientists found that
pre-incubation with EGCG was capable of inhibiting the production
of these molecules. EGCG also inhibited the production of
prostaglandin E2, a hormone-like substance that causes inflammation
in the joints.
Ahmed says that these studies suggest that EGCG or molecules
that could be derived synthetically from the EGCG found in green
tea may be of therapeutic value by inhibiting the joint destruction
in rheumatoid arthritis.
The laboratory now is focused on the inhibitory role of EGCG in
gene expression. The scientists plan to test EGCG in animal models
of rheumatoid arthritis to see if it provides similar therapeutic
or preventive effects. Ahmed believes that the outcome of these
studies will form a strong foundation for future testing of green
tea compound in humans with rheumatoid arthritis.
This research was supported by National Institutes of Health
grants and Veteran Administration Medical Research Service funds to
Koch.
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