Epigallocatechin gallate, a green tea phytochemical, attenuates alcohol-induced hepatic protein and lipid damage.

ABSTRACT Oxidative damage to cellular constituents is one of the major mechanisms of alcoholic liver injury, and administration of antioxidants ameliorates alcoholic liver disease. The present study investigated the influence of (-) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenol component of green tea, on oxidant-antioxidant balance, protein, and lipid damage in liver of rats fed ethanol. Chronic ethanol administration (6 g/kg/day x 60 days) caused liver damage that was manifested by excessive formation of lipid peroxidation end products such as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), lipid hydroperoxides (LHP), and conjugated dienes (CD) accompanied by a reduction in enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidant levels. Further, ethanol caused a rise in protein carbonyl formation and loss of protein thiol groups. Ethanol-fed rats exhibited increased staining for the presence of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), and 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) protein adducts in liver. The detrimental effects of ethanol were alleviated upon simultaneous treatment with EGCG (100 mg/kg/day) for the last 30 days of alcohol feeding. These findings show that EGCG ameliorates protein and lipid damage induced by the hepatotoxin, ethanol.