The latest research shows that green tea has a preventive and Alleviative Effect on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) caused by smoking. The effective ingredient EGCG or effective antiCOPD health care drug can be developed into an effective biological agent for COPD treatment.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a chronic bronchitis and / or emphysema characterized by airflow obstruction. It can further develop into a common chronic disease of cor pulmonale and respiratory failure. It is related to the abnormal inflammatory reaction of harmful gas and harmful particles. The rate of disability and mortality is very high. The incidence of the disease over the age of 40 years is up to 9% to 10%. According to the WHO, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third major cause of human death.
Cigarette smoke produced by smoking is an important environmental factor in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smokers, who account for 20% of the total number of smokers, have a high risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and half of them suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In the United States and the United Kingdom, 80%~95% patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are smokers. Among the patients with nonsmoking chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 20% of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease induced by passive smoking. Studies have shown that the occurrence, development and deterioration of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are closely related to cigarette smoke induced oxidative stress, imbalance of oxidant / antioxidant system, protease / antiprotease imbalance and inflammatory response.
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the main component of green tea catechins. It has good antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities. It is one of the main active substances that make green tea health-care. Animal experiment results showed that rats after drinking Chinese Green Tea significantly reduced pulmonary LPO markers and MDA content in cigarette smoke induced inhibition of bronchoalveolar lavage, HNE and MMP-12 concentration and activity induced by cigarette smoke solution and in the lungs increases, and increase the alpha 1-AT and secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor activity, but also through the inhibition of HMGB1 release and inhibit inflammatory reaction.
In the near future, EGCG in tea will become an effective antioxidation health care drug like COPD, which can be developed as an effective biological agent for the treatment of COPD.
This digest is selected from "tea science" 2017, thirty-seventh volume fourth, "green tea, EGCG prevention and mitigation of cigarette smoke induced COPD research." the first author: Huang Xiangxiang, this is from China tea society.