Chemopreventive effects of green tea components on hepatic carcinogenesis.

Catechin components of green tea have been shown to possess anticarcinogenic properties possible related to their antioxidant activity. In the present study, a catechin containing green tea extract (GTE) was examined for its effect on three previously defined properties of liver tumor promoters, induction of cytolethality, inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication, and induction of cell proliferation. Hepatocytes from male B6C3F1 mice were isolated and placed in primary culture. The effects of GTE of oxygen free radical-induced cytolethality was examined by coincubating GTE with the oxygen radical generating compounds paraquat, glucose oxidase (GO), and xanthine oxidase (XO). GTE prevented the induction of hepatocyte cytolethality by GO, XO, and paraquat in a dose-responsive manner. Similarly, GTE prevented the inhibition of gap junctional-mediated intercellular communication (measured by lucifer yellow dye coupling) by phenobarbital, lindane, and paraquat in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of GTE on hepatocyte DNA synthesis was examined in male mice containing preneoplastic liver lesions induced by diethylnitrosamine. GTE significantly decreased the labeling index in hepatic preneoplastic foci from animals treated with phenobarbital for 7 days. These studies suggest that the previous reported anticarcinogenic activity of green tea may be related to its effect on the tumor promotion stage of the cancer process.