Phytother Res. 2002 Mar; 16 Suppl 1(): S40-4.

Inhibition of tumour growth and inflammation by consumption of tea.

Das M, Sur P, Gomes A, Vedasiromoni JR, Ganguly DK.

Division of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4 Raja S.C. Mullick Road, Calcutta 700 032, India.

The antitumour effect of tea was evaluated in the 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) induced solid tumour model in mice. Both black and green tea inhibited tumour growth and prevented metastasis. Histopathological study showed that tea treatment was able to reduce malignancy. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), a free radical scavenger, was found to be significantly increased in the serum of mice administered tea. Moreover, tea extracts were able to reduce the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) in the sera of mice. Tea extracts (both black and green) also showed antiinflammatory activity in the carrageenan-induced paw oedema model in the rat.Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.