Preventive effects of green tea against liver oxidative DNA damage and hepatotoxicity in rats treated with 2-nitropropane.

Male rats were given 2% green tea as their drinking water for 2 wk before a single ip injection of the carcinogen 2-nitropropane (2NP) (100 mg/kg body weight) and liver nuclear 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels and hepatotoxicity parameters were determined 6 or 15 hr thereafter. The increase of 8-OHdG adducts in liver nuclear DNA caused by 2NP was depressed 50% at both time points with the green tea pretreatment. The time-dependent elevations of serum aminotransferases and lactate dehydrogenase values by 2NP were also effectively prevented. However, green tea had no obvious effects on the falls in serum lipid peroxide and triglyceride levels associated with carcinogen exposure. Increases of hepatic lipid peroxide levels with 2NP were depressed 100 and 30%, at 6 and 15 hr, respectively, by green tea and the decrease in hepatic glycogen content at 6 hr was clearly alleviated. Histopathological examination revealed effective protection against induction of hepatic degenerative changes by 2NP at 15 hr. Drinking crude catechin extract solution with the same concentration of (-)epigallocatechin gallate as green tea provided protection at 6 hr, but with only half the effectiveness. These findings demonstrate that green tea can effectively block oxidative DNA damage to the liver as well as hepatotoxicity in rats treated with 2NP.