Inhibitory effects of (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate
from green tea on the,growth of Babesia parasites.

Parasitology. 2009 Dec 22;:1-7 [Epub ahead of print]

Inhibitory effects of (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate from green
tea on the growth of Babesia parasites.

Aboulaila M, Yokoyama N, Igarashi I.

National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro
University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho,
Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.

SUMMARY(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the major tea
catechin and accounts for 50-80% of the total catechin in green
tea.
(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate has antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, and
anti-trypanocidal activities. This report describes the
inhibitory effect of (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate on the in
vitro growth of bovine Babesia parasites and the in vivo growth
of the mouse-adapted rodent babesia B. microti. The in vitro
growth of the Babesia species was significantly (P<0.05)
inhibited in the presence of micromolar concentrations of EGCG
(IC50 values=18 and 25 muM for B. bovis, and B. bigemina,
respectively). The parasites showed no re-growth at 25 muM for B.
bovis and B.
bigemina in the subsequent viability test. The drug significantly
(P<0.05) inhibited the growth of B. microti at doses of 5 and 10
mg/kg body weight, and the parasites completely cleared on day 14
and 16 post-inoculation in the 5 and 10 mg/kg treated groups,
respectively.

These findings highlight the potentiality of
(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate as a chemotherapeutic drug for the
treatment of babesiosis.

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PMID: 20025823 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]