Abstract

Green tea is natural dried leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Green tea extract is bioflavonoid-rich compound, with several phenol groups. The dominant polyphynol (catechin) in green tea is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is a potent antioxidant. In the case of breast cancer, catechins were in fact shown to interfere with the binding of estrogen to estrogen receptors. This study evaluated the green tea extract effect on breast cancer patients using morphological and immunocytochemical techniques. It included 3 groups, 2 treated groups and one control group. Chemotherapy for 6 cycles was administered plus 1000mg green tea extract /day or alone. Blood smears were applied from both control and treated groups either preradicalmastectomy, or post 3 and 6 cycles of treatment. Apoptotic and antiangiogenic effects were revealed through Leishman’s stain and immunocytochemical technique of both vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB). Morphological results using Leishman’s stain illustrated that the apoptosis in blood smears of women administered with green tea extract was more prominent than that of their corresponding without green tea extract administration or of control women. Immunocytochemical findings showed that there was a decrease in VEGF & NFkB in women administered green tea extract as compared with their partners of control group as well as those treated with chemotherapy alone. In conclusion, green tea played a dual role in decreasing the angiogenesis while it increased apoptosis. This revealed that green tea as adjuvant therapy showed a positive effect.

Key words: Human breast cancer, Green tea, immunocytochemistry, VEGF, NF-kB