Green Tea-Based Nanocarriers for Fighting Cancer

Oct-15-14 One of the ingredients in green tea, long-valued for its antioxidant properties, is now being used to develop a drug-delivery system that is both more effective and less toxic than current nanocarriers.

Researchers have been experimenting with using drug-delivering carriers to send medication directly to the cancer cells for some time, but current carriers have no therapeutic value of their own, and can even be toxic when used in large amounts.

The new drug-delivery system, developed at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) of A*STAR, is the first in which the carrier itself can also improve the effectiveness of the drug. The technology makes use of the compound epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)—a catechin found in green tea that researchers believe is responsible for the tea's health benefits. The carrier features a core of EGCG that encapsulates the cancer-fighting drug (Herceptin, in this case), while the shell is made of PEG-EGCG—a compound that hides the carrier and prevents it from being ejected by the body's immune system before it reaches the tumor. In tests, the new method was much more effective than simply using the drug alone.

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[GIZMAG.COM]
[A-STAR.EDU.SG]

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