Cutaneous Photochemoprotection by Green Tea: A Brief Review

Abstract

Alarmingly increasing incidences of skin cancer are being reported from many countries where the majority of the population is Caucasian. According to projected estimates by the American Cancer Society, approximately 1.3 million cases of basal-cell and squamous-cell cancers, grouped together as nonmelanoma skin cancers, are diagnosed annually in the USA alone. It is clear that excessive exposure of the skin to solar radiation, particularly the UVB component, is responsible for these cancers. It is also important to mention here that among all the cancers, skin cancer is believed to be one of the most preventable and curable cancer types. While the surgical therapy for these skin cancers is highly effective, because of their recurrence and many other reasons, these cancers cause significant morbidity to the patients. One way to reduce the occurrence of these cancers is through chemoprevention. For the chemoprevention of photodamage and thus for photocarcinogenesis, we will use the term ‘photochemoprotection’. In recent years, the naturally occurring compounds, especially the antioxidants, present in the common diet and beverages consumed by the human population have gained considerable attention as chemopreventive agents for potential human benefit. Many such agents have found a place in skin care products. Green tea, rich in polyphenolic antioxidants, is gaining increasing attention as a supplement in skin care products. In this short review, we will discuss the chemopreventive potential of green tea polyphenols against skin cancer, especially photocarcinogenesis. We advocate that the use of skin care products supplemented with agents such as green tea in conjunction with the use of sunscreens and educational efforts may be an effective strategy for reducing UV-induced photodamage and skin cancer in humans.

Current application of phytocompound-based nanocosmeceuticals for beauty and skin therapy

“…[316][317][318][319][320] The individual potential of these compounds also varies in usage for development of cosmeceutical products. Green tea components have multiple skin care roles such as antiaging and prevention of UV-induced photoaging.…”

“…Green tea components have multiple skin care roles such as antiaging and prevention of UV-induced photoaging. 316,[320][321][322][323] The bioactive compounds readily undergo functional group loss during the exposure to environmental conditions and decrease the stability of the compounds, which limits the application of these compounds in cosmeceutical products. Nanodelivery techniques enhance the bioavailability of these compounds in cosmeceutical products, thereby enhancing their usage in the novel development of green tea-based cosmeceuticals.…”

Signal Transduction Pathways: Targets for Green and Black Tea Polyphenols

“…A number of mechanisms explaining tea's anti-cancer actions have been presented including results suggesting that the gallate structure of theaflavins is important for growth inhibition of tumor cell lines by these compounds . One of the most well known actions of tea-associated polyphenolic compounds is their potent antioxidant activity, which has been suggested to be important in alleviating cancer-associated oxidative stresses Benzie et al, 1999;Brown, 1999;Katiyar et al, 1999;Kondo et al, 1999;Lin et al, 1999;Weisburger, 1999b;Weisburger, 1999a;Chen et al, 2000a;Ichihashi et al, 2000;Johnson and Loo, 2000;Jovanovic and Simic, 2000;Katiyar, Ahmad et al, 2000;Langley-Evans, 2000;Liu et al, 2000;Shi et al, 2000;Trevisanato and Kim, 2000;Ahmad and Mukhtar, 2001;Katiyar et al, 2001a;Katiyar, Bergamo et al, 2001b;Katiyar and Elmets, 2001;Owuor and Kong, 2002;. Results of one recent study in which normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK) were pretreated with EGCG prior to UVB exposure, indicated that EGCG inhibited UVBinduced hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) production and H 2 O 2 -mediated phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways (Katiyar et al, 2001a).…”

“…Tea is one of the most popular beverages consumed in the world and has been demonstrated to have anti-cancer activity in animal models. Several very recent review articles have summarized research findings regarding the anti-carcinogenic effects of tea Fujiki, 1999;Gupta et al, 1999;Mukhtar and Ahmad, 1999;Weisburger 1999b;Katiyar et al, 2000;Kong et al, 2000;Lin and Liang 2000;Trevisanato and Kim, 2000;Wang, 2000;Yang et al, 2000a;Ahmad and Mukhtar, 2001;Dong et al, 2001;Katiyar et al, 2001b;Katiyar and Elmets, 2001;Wiseman et al, 2001;Gupta and Mukhtar, 2002;Guyton and Kensler, 2002;Le Marchand, 2002;Yang et al, 2002).…”

Antioxidant and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Effects of the Extract Mixtures of Perilla frutescens, Houttuynia cordata and Camellia sinensis

“…본 연구에서는 탁월한 항산화 기 능 식물로 알려진 녹차, 어성초, 자소엽을 사용하여 항 산화 기능이 우수한 복합물질을 개발하고자 연구를 진행하였다. 녹차(Camellia sinensis)의 카테킨(catechin) 과 EGCG는 암 발생 예방, 항산화, 항염증효과가 있다 [12][13][14]. 어성초(Houttuynia cordata)는 삼백초과(Saururaceae) 다년생 초본 식물로서 methyl-n-nonylketon, decanoyl acetaldehyde, α-pinene, linalool, δ-limonen, camphene, quercitrin, quercetin, reynoutrin, isoquercitrin, hyperin 등 다양한 성분들을 함유하고 있으며 항산화, 항균, 항알러지, 면역력 증진 등의 효능이 우수한 것 으로 보고된 바 있다 [15][16][17][18][19][20].…”