Department of Biological Sciences, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Colorado, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e59275. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059275. Epub 2013 Mar 14.
Catechins, flavanols found at high levels in green tea, have received significant attention due to their potential health benefits related to cancer, autoimmunity and metabolic disease, but little is known about the mechanisms by which these compounds affect cellular behavior. Here, we assess whether the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum is a useful tool with which to characterize the effects of catechins. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the most abundant and potent catechin in green tea, has significant effects on the Dictyostelium life cycle. In the presence of EGCG aggregation is delayed, cells do not stream and development is typically stalled at the loose aggregate stage. The developmental effects very likely result from defects in motility, as EGCG reduces both random movement and chemotaxis of Dictyostelium amoebae. These results suggest that catechins and their derivatives may be useful tools with which to better understand cell motility and development in Dictyostelium and that this organism is a useful model to further characterize the activities of catechins.
儿茶素、黄烷醇在绿茶中含量很高，由于它们与癌症、自身免疫和代谢性疾病相关的潜在健康益处而受到广泛关注，但人们对这些化合物影响细胞行为的机制知之甚少。在这里，我们评估了模式生物盘基网柄菌是否是一种有用的工具，可以用来描述儿茶素的作用。表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯（EGCG）是绿茶中含量最丰富、活性最强的儿茶素，对盘基网柄菌的生命周期有显著影响。在 EGCG 的存在下，聚集被延迟，细胞不会流动，发育通常停滞在松散聚集阶段。发育效应很可能是由于运动缺陷所致，因为 EGCG 降低了盘基网柄菌变形虫的随机运动和趋化性。这些结果表明，儿茶素及其衍生物可能是更好地理解盘基网柄菌细胞运动和发育的有用工具，并且该生物是进一步表征儿茶素活性的有用模型。
