It can be very beneficial to drink green tea, as researchers have found that a compound in the popular drink can increase the levels of a natural protein against cancer, which is known for its ability to repair DNA damage or cancer cells. destroy, says a new study.
The study of the direct interaction between the anti-cancer protein p53 and the green tea compound, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), published in the journal Nature Communications, points to a new target for the discovery of cancer drugs. “Both p53 and EGCG molecules are extremely interesting. Mutations in p53 occur in more than 50 percent of human cancers, while EGCG is the major antioxidant in green tea, a popular beverage worldwide,” said author Chunyu Wang, professor to Rensselaer Polytechnic, said. Institute in Troy, New York.
“Now we’re realizing that there’s a previously unknown, direct interaction between the two, which points to a new path for the development of anticancer drugs. Our work helps explain how EGCG is able to inhibit p53’s anticancer activity. promoting, which opens the door to developing medicines with EGCG-like compounds. “
The protein p53 has several known cancer functions, including stopping cell growth to enable DNA repair, activating DNA repair, and initiating programmed cell death, which is called apoptosis if DNA damage cannot be repaired. The one point of the protein, known as the N-terminal domain, has a flexible form and may therefore serve different functions depending on the interaction with multiple molecules.
EGCG is a natural antioxidant, which means that it eliminates the almost constant damage caused by oxygen metabolism. EGCG is found in abundance in green tea, and is also packaged as an herbal supplement. The researchers found that the interaction between EGCG and p53 preserves the protein of degradation.
After production in the body, p53 is usually rapidly degraded when the N-terminal domain interacts with a protein called MDM2. This regular cycle of production and deterioration keeps p53 levels at a low constant.
“When EGCG binds to p53, the protein is not broken down by MDM2, so the level of p53 will increase with the direct interaction with EGCG, which means there is more p53 for cancer function. This is a very important interaction,” he said. Wang said.