Green tea compound prevents HIV from binding to T cells
The November 2003 issue Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published the findings of Kuzushige Kawai, MD, and colleagues from the University of Tokyo that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea catechin found to be responsible for many of the drink's health benefits, prevents the binding of HIV to human T cells, which is the initiation step in becoming infected with HIV. The description of EGCG's mechanism in blocking HIV is the first of its kind to be published.
The researchers discovered that EGCG prevented the envelope glycoprotein of the human immunodeficiency virus from binding to CD4 molecules located on human T cells, which are the immune cells that are attacked by HIV. In an accompanying editorial in the same issue of the journal, William T. Shearer, MD, PhD and colleagues from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston , Texas report on their use of computer programs to help define the nature of these effects. Dr Shearer stated, "It might be possible to locate the precise EGCG binding spot on the CD4 molecule and compare that spot to where the HIV glycoprotein normally binds, in an attempt to explain the exciting discovery of Dr. Kawai. Molecular modeling of a drug form of EGCG for HIV infection might be a further development of these investigations."
Green tea polyphenols have been demonstrated to provide many health benefits, such as the scavenging of free radicals and protection against cancer and heart disease. The concentrations of EGCG used in this study were are many times greater than what could be achieved by drinking green tea in normal amounts, but ECGC as an isolated agent may prove to be an effective drug in the battle against HIV infection.
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