Apoptotic and antiproliferative effect of nanoencapsulated (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate in human estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells MCF 7

Consumption of green tea has been associated with many different health benefits; from weight loss to heart disease and different types of cancer. The chemopreventive actions exerted by green tea are thought to be due to its major polyphenol, (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Studies in human cancer cell lines and some animal models have demonstrated that EGCG can have chemopreventive activities without affecting their normal healthy cell counterpart.
EGCG has a relative low bioavailability and stability, and studies have shown that the concentrations humans are able to absorb are five to fifty times less than the concentrations which seem to be responsible for the chemopreventive actions in past studies. Nanotechnology offers the means by which the bioavailability of EGCG can be improved to a level at which it can be useful in the fight against different diseases, including breast cancer.
Breast cancer is considered to be the second most common type of cancer among women in the United States, accounting for more than one in four cancers in women (about 28%). Although current treatments for breast cancer have improved over the past several years, the side effects which accompany current cancer treatments (such as system toxicity stemming from chemotherapy) are still devastating, even potentially life threatening, to the patient. This study studied different nanoparticles and demonstrated that chitosan-coated nanoliposome at a dose of 10µM has a significant effect on decreasing proliferation and some apoptotic effect on MCF 7 breast cancer cells.