Abstract
Autoimmune disease is a condition where the immune system attacks and destroys its own cells and tissues. As a common disease affecting more than 23.5 million Americans, it can be either systemic or organ specific. It is clear that multiple factors contribute to the development and progression of autoimmune diseases, and disease management is still a challenge in clinical practice. EGCG, one of the active ingredients of green tea, has immunemodulating effects on both adaptive and innate immunity, particularly on T cell activation, proliferation and differentiation, as well as myeloid cell function. These effects include the inhibition of Th1/Th17 differentiation by downregulating the corresponding transcription factors, increased Treg frequencies through enhanced FoxP3 expression, and modulation of various inflammatory pathways in myeloid cells. In various autoimmune disease models, the administration of EGCG has been shown to prevent the development or abate the progression of disease, through its immuneregulating, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. These findings raise hope that the use of EGCG will be a promising therapeutic approach to treat autoimmune diseases. However, few clinical trials have been carried out. Given the scarcity of such clinical trials, more translational studies are warranted to evaluate the therapeutic value and potential long term consequences of EGCG in human autoimmune diseases.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Advances in Medicine and Biology. |
Publisher | Nova Science Publishers, Inc. |
Pages | 1-37 |
Number of pages | 37 |
Volume | 102 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781634855778 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781634855679 |
State | Published - Jan 1 2016 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Medicine