Green Tea Extract Induces Actin Remodeling Through Effects on Annexin-I

Researchers in the department of Clinical Molecular Pharmacology at City of Hope National Medical Center used green tea extract to gauge the effects on annexin-I, a substance that is decreased in the early stages in some forms of bladder cancer.

GS Xiao, YS Jin, and QY Lu, et al reported in the October, 2006 edition of the International Journal of Cancer that transformed urothelial cells type MC-T11(a type of cell found in the bladder) were treated with green tea extract and then analyzed. These cells showed 20 induced proteins (i.e., increased levels) as a result of green tea extract exposure, including the dose and time-dependent expression of the annexin-I molecule.

This study shows that green tea reverses the drop of annexin-I that occurs in bladder cancer and suggests it may be effective in halting and reversing the development of early stage bladder cancer.


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Most of the recent scientific work on this traditional Chinese herb and its analogues has been done, not surprisingly, in the Far East.

July 14, 2006 edition of Biochemistry and Pharmacology

Researchers in Singapore showed that andrographolide , a lactone isolated from Andrographis paniculata, caused apoptosis or cell death in human cancer cells. The mechanism of cell death was the activation of caspase 8 which signalled cell death to the mitochondria and then to downstream effector caspases.

April 21, 2006 edition of Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry