Saturday May 31, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study recently published in Metabolomics suggests that the major green tea ingredient epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) may prevent pancreatic cancer by inhibiting a key enzyme involved in cancerous metabolism.

The enzyme is lactate dehydrogenase  A (LDHA), which catalyzes the transformation of pyruvate to lactate, a pathway that cancer cells rely on for its need of energy.  Blocking this pathway can therefore disrupt cancer cell growth.

The study finds that EGCG can also function exactly in the same way as oxamate does.  Researchers report that "the EGCG treatment of MIA PaCa-2 cells significantly reduced lactate production, anaerobic glycolysis, glucose consumption and glycolytic rate that are comparable to the inhibition of LDHA by oxamate treatment."   Anaerobic glycolysis leads to lactate production which is commonly seen in cancer patients.

Oxamate has been known for some time to inhibit lactate production.  Another study led by Hyun Joo Ahn and colleagues tested sodium oxamate along with an anti-cancer compound known as phenformin and found use of oxamate can effectively inhibit the lactate production induced by the anticancer compound.  The study was published on January 21, 2014 in PLoS One.

EGCG or green tea extract may be used as a chemopreventative to potentially prevent all sorts of cancers including skin cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, oral cancer, head and neck cancer and breast cancer.  (david Liu)

Reference

Qing-Yi Lu, Lifeng Zhang, Jennifer K. Yee, Vay-Liang W. Go, Wai-Nang Lee, Metabolic consequences of LDHA inhibition by epigallocatechin gallate and oxamate in MIA PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells, Metabolomics, May 2014

W. Keith Miskimins, Hyun Joo Ahn mail, Ji Yeon Kim, Sun Ryu, Yuh-Seog Jung, Joon Young Choi, Synergistic Anti-Cancer Effect of Phenformin and Oxamate, PLoS One, January 21, 2014DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085576