A natural product containing polyphenol
compounds that are active against prostate cancer

Green tea or a lipid-extract obtained from green tea leaves has multiple pharmacologic actions. Green and black tea are derived from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. However, only green tea is rich in the flavonol group of polyphenols known as catechins. The fermentation process used in making black tea destroys the biologically active polyphenols of the fresh leaf. The catechins as a chemical group have significant free-radical scavenging properties and are potent antioxidants. The four catechins that are found in green tea leaves include:

• Epicatechin (EC)
• Epigallocatechin (EGC)
• Epicatechin gallate (ECG)
• Epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG)

Of these 4 fractions, the gallate catechins, ECG and EGCG, are the most important to the prostate cancer patient. Their pharmacologic activity extends beyond their actions as anti-oxidants and free-radical scavengers. For example, epigallocathechin-3 gallate (EGCG) acts against urokinase, an enzyme often found in large amounts in human cancers. Urokinase breaks down the basement membrane of cell junctions which may be a key step in the process of tumor cell metastasis as well as tumor growth. EGCG attaches to urokinase and prevents these actions.