"Amelioration of influenza virus-induced reactive oxygen species formation by epigallocatechin gallate derived from green tea." - GreenMedInfo Summary
Amelioration of influenza virus-induced reactive oxygen species formation by epigallocatechin gallate derived from green tea.
Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2012 Dec ;33(12):1533-41. Epub 2012 Sep 3. PMID: 22941291
State Key Laboratory of Virology/Institute of Medical Virology/Research Center of Food and Drug Evaluation/State Laboratory of Antiviral and Tumor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Medicine, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China.
Aim:To study whether epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea-derived polyphenol, exerted anti-influenza A virus activity in vitro and in vivo.Methods:Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells were tested. The antiviral activity of EGCG in the cells was determined using hemagglutination assay and qPCR. Time of addition assay was performed to determine the kinetics of inhibition of influenza A by EGCG. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were determined with confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. BALB/c mice were treated with EGCG (10, 20 or 40 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1), po) for 5 d. On the 3rd d of the treatment, the mice were infected with influenza A virus. Histopathological changes, lung index and virus titers in the lungs were determined.Results:Treatment of influenza A-infected MDCK cells with EGCG (1.25-100 nmol/L) inhibited influenza A replication in a concentration-dependent manner (the ED(50) value was 8.71±1.11 nmol/L). Treatment with EGCG (20 nmol/L) significantly suppressed the increased ROS level in MDCK cells following influenza A infection. In BALB/c mice infected with influenza virus, oral administration of EGCG (40 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) dramatically improved the survival rate, decreased the mean virus yields and mitigated viral pneumonia in the lungs, which was equivalent to oral administration of oseltamivir (40 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)), a positive control drug.Conclusion:The results provide a molecular basis for development of EGCG as a novel and safe chemopreventive agent for influenza A infection.