Green Tea May Protect Against Autoimmune Diseases

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Green Tea May Protect Against Autoimmune Diseases

By Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- Green tea, already lauded for

its cancer-fighting ability, may also protect against certain

autoimmune diseases, new research suggests.

Green teas inhibit the expression of antigens made by the body,

substances that can trigger an immune response, explained study

author Hsu, an associate professor in the School of

Dentistry at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. He is to

report on the research Sunday at the Arthritis Foundation's

Arthritis Research Conference in Atlanta.

He focused on EGCG, a substance found in green tea known to suppress

inflammation, and its effect on skin and salivary gland cells. In

one autoimmune disorder, Sjogren's syndrome, the salivary glands are

affected, causing dry mouth. In another autoimmune disorder, lupus,

the skin is affected.

Hsu's team isolated 130 autoantigens from cells and exposed them to

EGCG. Autoantigens are molecules in the body with useful functions,

according to Hsu, but changes in either their amount or their

location can result in an unwanted immune response.

Of the 130 autoantigens " most were inhibited or without changes "

when exposed to the EGCG, he said. " Among them, a group of key

autoantigens were inhibited. "

While the research is very preliminary, he said, eventually green

tea might help protect cells from being attacked by the

autoantigens. Besides applications for the dry mouth that affects

those with Sjogren's, Hsu said green tea might prove useful for the

skin found in lupus.

The Georgia researcher speculated that EGCG modulates the presence

of the autoantigens, in addition to its ability to suppress

inflammation.

According to Hsu, other research with green tea in animal models has

shown it can reduce arthritis.

The new study is " a significant beginning, " said Nihal Ahmad, an

assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin at

Madison, who was part of a team in 1999 that showed that polyphenols

(of which EGCG is one) in green tea could prevent induced arthritis

in mice.

The Hsu research, he said, " appears to have great potential, " though

it " needs more work. " However, " based on the cell culture study, we

can only say that we can be hopeful. "

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