# Anticancer Mechanisms

EGCG is the main catechin in **green tea**, and its anticancer relevance comes from unusually broad pathway activity.

### Primary mechanisms

#### 1. EGFR and growth-factor signalling inhibition

* Binds to EGFR and reduces autophosphorylation
* Suppresses downstream MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt signalling
* Reduces mTOR-pathway activity in several tumour models

#### 2. Apoptosis induction

* Activates caspase-dependent cell death pathways
* Increases Bax/Bcl-2 ratio
* Promotes cytochrome c release and mitochondrial apoptotic signalling

#### 3. Cell-cycle arrest

* Induces G1 arrest in many models
* Upregulates p21 and p27
* Downregulates cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases tied to proliferation

#### 4. Anti-angiogenic effects

* Inhibits VEGF
* Suppresses HIF-1α-linked angiogenic signalling
* Reduces MMP-2 and MMP-9 in invasive models

#### 5. Metastasis suppression

* Inhibits EMT-related signalling
* Reduces invasion and migration markers
* Suppresses uPA and other metastasis-promoting pathways

#### 6. Telomerase inhibition

* Inhibits hTERT-related activity in cancer cells
* Supports long-term growth-control mechanisms in some models

### Secondary mechanisms

* NF-κB inhibition
* STAT3 suppression
* autophagy modulation
* DNA methyltransferase-related epigenetic effects
* cancer stem-cell targeting
* proteasome-related effects at higher concentrations

### Practical interpretation

EGCG is best understood as a pleiotropic adjunct rather than a single-target intervention. This is one reason green tea catechin research has remained so active across multiple cancer types.

### Key References

Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Therapeutic Potential in Cancer: Mechanism of Action and Clinical Implications\
<https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10343677/>

Effects of Epigallocatechin Gallate Against Lung Cancer\
<https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12899071/>

Novel anti-cancer stem cell compounds\
<https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11360402/>

Targeting Notch signaling pathways with natural bioactive compounds in cancer\
<https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1412669/full>

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