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Suppression of human pancreatic carcinoma cell growth and invasion by epigallocatechin-3-gallate.

Pancreas 2002 Jul;25(1):45-8

Takada M; Nakamura Y; Koizumi T; Toyama H; Kamigaki T; Suzuki Y; Takeyama Y; Kuroda Y
First Department of Surgery, Kobe University School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. moriatsu@med.kobe-u.ac.jp .

INTRODUCTION: The consumption of green tea is associated with a lower risk of several types of human carcinomas. A number of studies have focused on the possible mechanisms of cancer prevention by tea extracts, especially polyphenols such as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). AIMS AND METHODOLOGY: Green tea-derived EGCG was tested in human pancreatic carcinoma cells. The cells (PANC-1, MIA PaCa-2, and BxPC-3) were treated with different doses of EGCG (0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 micromol/L) for 48 hours in culture medium. Proliferation of pancreatic carcinoma cells was measured by means of the WST-1 colorimetric assay. For the study of cell invasion, the cells were incubated with 100 micromol/L EGCG for 2 hours. Then, the cells were added into the cell insert, coated with Matrigel basement membrane matrix. After incubation at 37 degrees C for 24 hours, the cells that had invaded through the Matrigel were counted visually under the microscope. RESULTS: The growth of all three pancreatic carcinoma cells was significantly suppressed by EGCG treatment in a dose-dependent manner. EGCG treatment caused significant suppression of the invasive ability of pancreatic carcinoma cells PANC-1, MIA PaCa-2, and BxPC-3 but did not affect the cell cycle protein cyclin D1. CONCLUSION: EGCG may be a potent biologic inhibitor of human pancreatic carcinomas, reducing their proliferative and invasive activities.