The beneficial effects of green tea have been known for ages. The biological activity of cathechins (up to 200 mg/cup of green tea) is what explains green tea’s antioxidant activity.
For centuries the antibacterial activity of green tea has been suspected because of the efficiency of green tea extract in oral hygiene.
National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana, Slovenia researchers have found new tricks that main ingredients of green tea can perform:
They found out that green tea catechins inhibit essential bacterial enzyme DNA gyrase, which is the target of several existing clinically used drugs.
By the use of NMR spectroscopy, researchers from Slovenia have now pinpointed the ATP-binding site of DNA gyrase as target of EGCG, the most abundant catechin from the green tea extract.
Several compounds targeted against the ATP-binding site of bacteria gyrase have been known but couldn't be used as drugs due to their side effects on mammalian cells.
The green tea cathechins can potentially be used because their safety in the human diet has long been proven.
Recently published in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, the study results can be used for the development of more potent antibacterial drugs.
Source: National Institute Of Chemistry, Slovenia.
[Photo Credit: Japanese Green Tea Online]
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