Protection against N-nitrosodiethylamine and benzo[a]pyrene-induced forestomach and lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice by green tea.

In recent years we and others have shown the cancer chemopreventive effects of green tea in several animal tumor models. In this study we assessed the cancer chemopreventive effects of water extract of green tea (WEGT) and the polyphenolic fraction (GTP) isolated from WEGT against N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN)- and benzo[a]pyrene (BP)-induced forestomach and lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice. The protective effects, both in forestomach and lungs, were evident by a decrease in number of tumors and the percentage of mice with tumors when WEGT and GTP were fed to animals during initiation, post-initiation and entire period of tumorigenesis protocols. Oral feeding of 0.2% GTP in drinking water to mice afforded 68-82 and 39-66% protection against DEN- and BP-induced forestomach tumorigenesis respectively. In case of pulmonary tumor multiplicity caused by DEN and BP, the protective effects of GTP were between 38-43 and 25-46% respectively. Similarly, oral feeding of 2.5% WEGT to mice also afforded 80-85 and 61-71% protection against DEN- and BP-induced forestomach tumorigenesis respectively. In case of lung tumorigenesis, the protective effects of WEGT were 43-62 and 25-51% respectively. Histological studies of forestomach tumors showed significantly lower squamous cell carcinoma counts in GTP- and WEGT-fed groups of mice compared to carcinogen alone treated control group of mice. When pulmonary tumors were examined histologically, no adenocarcinomas were observed in GTP- and WEGT-fed groups of mice compared to 20% mice with adenocarcinomas in carcinogen alone treated control group. Oral feeding of GTP and WEGT in drinking water also showed significant enhancement in the activities of glutathione S-transferase and NADP(H): quinone reductase in liver, small bowel, stomach and lung. The results of this study suggest that green tea possesses chemopreventive effects against carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis in internal body organs, and that the mechanism of such effects may involve the enhancement of phase II and anti-oxidant enzyme systems.