German researchers have determined that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) - a flavonoid found in green tea - inhibits the hepatitis C virus (HCV) from entering liver cells. Study findings available in the December issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, suggest that EGCG may offer an antiviral strategy to prevent HCV reinfection following liver transplantation.
HCV infection can lead to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or primary liver cancer. HCV is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease and a primary indication for liver transplantation, affecting up to 170 million individuals worldwide according to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO). Prior studies report that nearly 2% of the world population is infected with chronic HCV and up to 20% of the population in some countries.
丙肝病毒可以导致慢性肝炎，肝硬化，肝细胞肝癌或原发性肝癌。丙肝病毒是造成慢性肝病的最常见原因，它的感染也是肝移植的首要指征。据世界卫生组织估计，全世界范围内，感染丙肝病毒的人数超过1.7亿，先前的研究报告指出，全世界大约有2%的人口感染该病毒，在有些国家，这个比例甚至超过20%。
While standard treatment with interferon with ribavirin and newer protease inhibitors may clear infection in some individuals, a substantial number of patients still may not respond to these therapies. For individuals receiving liver transplants due to complications from HCV, reinfection of the healthy donor liver remains a significant concern. Antiviral strategies that target HCV in its early stages are urgently needed to prevent graft reinfection and improve long-term outcomes for patients.
虽然使用干扰素、利巴韦林和新的蛋白酶抑制剂的标准治疗方案可以清除某些病例体内的感染病毒，但仍有相当多的患者对这种治疗没有效果。对于那些由于丙肝病毒感染造成并发症而需要接受肝移植的患者来说，捐赠的肝脏再次感染丙肝病毒的问题仍然令人关注。在肝脏移植的早期，需要针对HCV的抗病毒策略来预防捐赠器官的再次感染，以便改善患者的长期预后。
To address this critical issue, Dr. Sandra Ciesek and Dr. Eike Steinmann from the Hannover Medical School in Germany investigated the effect of the EGCG molecule, which is a major component of green tea, in preventing HCV from attaching to liver cells. "Green tea catechins such as EGCG and its derivatives epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechingallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC) have been shown to exhibit antiviral and anti-oncogenic properties," explains Dr. Ciesek. "Our study further explores the potential effect these flavonoids have in preventing HCV reinfection following liver transplantation."
为了解决这个问题，德国汉诺威医学院的Sandra Ciesek博士和Eike Steinmann博士研究了绿茶中主要成分，EGCG分子，在预防HCV粘附肝细胞中的作用。Ciesek博士解释说：“绿茶中的儿茶酸，如表没食子儿茶素-3-没食子酸和它的衍生物：表没食子儿茶精，表儿茶酸牻酸盐和表儿茶素，这些物质都显示出抗病毒和抗癌作用。我们的研究是要进一步探索这些黄酮类化合物在预防移植后肝脏再次感染HCV的潜在作用。
Results showed that unlike its derivatives, EGCG inhibits entry of HCV into liver cells. The authors suggest that EGCG may impede HCV cell entry by acting on the host cell as the green tea catechin was not found to alter the density of virus particles. Pretreatment of cells with EGCG before HCV inoculation did not reduce the infection; however application during inoculation inhibited the rapid spread of the HCV. Lastly, researchers showed that EGCG inhibits viral attachment-the initial step in the HCV infection process. "The green tea antioxidant EGCG inhibits HCV cell entry by blocking viral attachment and may offer a new approach to prevent HCV infection, particularly reinfection following liver transplantation." concludes Dr. Ciesek.