X-Message-Number: 21180
From: 
Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2003 09:38:15 EST
Subject: tea and telomerase

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I suppose everyone knows already that epigallocatechin gallate from green tea 
is a telomerase inhibitor (I didn't until yesterday... I'd been hoping it 
attacked some other protein!), but this is very important info that should be 
made clear to any cancer sufferer. There's a Japanese group that has made 
some more-powerful synthetics (can't patent the original, maybe?... EGCG is 
powerful enough, and well-tested for toxicity) based on the EGCG molecule; 
they have a paper (in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Vol. 1, 657-665, July 
2002) with some nice TRFs showing shortening of telomeres in cell cultures. 
It seems clear that micromolar doses of EGCG-class compounds are a therapy 
that could kill off the leftover cancer cells after surgery in a nontoxic 
way. The great thing about EGCGs is that they don't interfere with other 
therapies and aren't toxic... of course the bad thing is that when they come 
into widespread use we'll get to find out just how many cancers can escape 
into the ALT pathway.

The question arises whether a continuous high level of green tea consumption 
is optimum. There are cells that need to activate telomerase to function 
(stem cells of various types, reproductive cells, etc.) Perhaps giving the 
tea a rest for one month out of six would be a good idea? Of course tea has 
anti-tooth decay and pro- "good" cholesterol-carrying protein effects also, 
so it's hard to replace. -Bill Walker (Research Assistant, Shay-Wright lab)

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