Research suggests that the green tea polyphenol EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) may have anticancer benefits. COX-2 inhibitor drugs may also have anticancer benefits, although high doses can be toxic. Now research reports that green tea EGCG combined with low dose Cox-2 may help prevent the spread of prostate cancer.
The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, investigated the effect of EGCG and NS-398 COX-2 inhibitor both alone and in combination on prostate cancer cells in vivo and in vitro. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin treated three cultured human prostate cancer cell lines with EGCG and NS-398. The scientists also administered EGCG and NS-398 to mice implanted with human prostate cancer cells. The in vitro and in vivo cell responses were analyzed.
The researchers found that in vitro, the combination treatment with EGCG and NS-398 significantly decreased cancer cell growth and cancer-promoting proteins. In vitro findings revealed that EGCG and NS-398 decreased tumor volume from 1,300 to 350 cubic millimeters in mice. Furthermore, EGCG and NS-398 combined significantly decreased the cancer marker prostate specific antigen (PSA) in mice. The study authors suggest that EGCG and NS-398 have a synergistic effect that is more powerful combined than either agent alone.
"These data suggest synergistic and/or additive effects of combinatorial chemopreventive agents and underscore the need for rational design of human clinical trials," the study authors conclude.
REFERENCES:
1. Adhami VM et al. Combined inhibitory effects of green tea polyphenols and selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors on the growth of human prostate cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Clin Cancer Res 2007 Mar 1;13(5):1611-9.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on March 27, 2007 02:45 PM
