Approaches to overcome bioavailability inconsistencies of epigallocatechin gallate, a powerful anti-oxidant in green tea

Abstract

Natural polyphenols, mainly found in tea, have many health benefits and have been used in traditional medicine for years; however, they have recently attracted a lot of attention in modern medicine. The present review discusses the therapeutic potential of Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) - its antioxidant and anticancer effects and health benefits, its structure and activity - by examining how the composition and arrangement of the molecule make it a suitable free radical scavenger, its pharmacokinetic parameters such as logP value and hydrogen bond donors and hydrogen bond acceptors and finally the main dilemma surrounding this drug molecule: its limited bioavailability - which leads to inconsistencies in its therapeutic potential. It also reviews and deliberates techniques to improve this molecule's efficacy, circumventing the obstacle of bioavailability by administering tea with different foods, administering EGCG as a double emulsion, or in the nanoparticulate form, or modifying the structure of the EGCG molecule.

Keywords

• EGCG
• Bioavailability
• Polyphenol
• Green tea