Cancer: none noted
Action: Anti-inflammatory, induces apoptosis
Apoptosis
Theaflavin-2 (TF-2), a major component of black tea extract (Camellia sinensis [(L.) Kuntze]), induces apoptosis of human colon cancer cells and suppresses serum-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression 1. The mechanisms of TF-2 for the activation of apoptosis were examined, and the impact on inflammatory genes in a broader panel of cells was evaluated and tested for whether topical anti-inflammatory effects could be observed in vivo. TF-2 triggered apoptosis in five other transformed cancer cell lines, inducing cell shrinkage, membrane blebbing, and mitochondrial clustering within 3 h of treatment. Topical application with TF-2 significantly reduced ear edema and produced a pattern of gene down-regulation similar to that observed in the cell model. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic activity of TF-2 may be exploited therapeutically in cancer and other diseases associated with inflammation (Gosslau et al., 2011).
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