Could Green Tea Ease RA Symptoms?

A compound found within green tea could help to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a recent study.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is found within green tea and the dried leaves of white tea, and has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. For this reason, researchers speculated that EGCG could help to lessen symptoms of RA and serve as an alternative to other RA treatments, including NSAIDs, corticosteroids, and JAK inhibitors.
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The researchers exposed a mouse model of RA to the compound for 10 days, finding that those mice given EGCG had significantly less ankle swelling than control mice, due to the inhibition of TAK1, a protein through which cytokines trigger inflammation in RA. They noted that EGCG reduced inflammation without disrupting other cell functions, unlike some alternative RA treatments.

“Our findings provide a rationale for targeting TAK1 for the treatment of RA with EGCG,” they concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Singh AK, Umar S, Riegsecker S, et al. Regulation of transforming growth factor β–activated kinase activation by epigallocatechin-3-gallate in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts: suppression of k63-linked autoubiquitination of tumor necrosis factor receptor–associated factor 6. Arthritis & Rheumatology. 2016;68(2):347-358.