Therapeutic effects of green tea on endometriosis

Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic disorder characterized by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. It affects 8%–10% of women in their reproductive years, and represents a major clinical problem with deleterious social, sexual and reproductive consequences. Current treatment options include pain relief, hormonal intervention and surgical removal. However, these treatments are deemed unsatisfactory owing to varying success, significant side effects and high recurrence rates. Green tea and its major bioactive component, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), possess diverse biological properties, particularly anti-angiogenic, anti-proliferation, anti-metastasis, and apoptosis induction. In recent years, preclinical studies have proposed the use of green tea to inhibit the growth of endometriosis. Herein, the aim of this review is to summarize the potential therapeutic effects of green tea on molecular and cellular mechanism through inflammation, oxidative stress, invasion and adhesion, apoptosis and angiogenesis in endometriosis.

Keywords:

• Cellular mechanism
• EGCG
• endometriosis
• epigallocatechin gallate
• molecular mechanism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from General Research Fund (GRF 475012), Shenzhen Key Medical Discipline Construction Fund (Grant No. SZXK028) and Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province of China (Grant No. 2020A1515110082).