Inhibitory effect of the tea polyphenol, (−)-epigallocatechin gallate, on growth of cervical adenocarcinoma cell lines

To investigate the effect of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on cervical adenocarcinoma, we performed a cell proliferation assay. TRAP assay is used for telomerase activity, flow cytometry analysis and pKi-67 immunofluoroscein staining in cervical adenocarcinoma cell lines (OMC-4, TMCC-1). Our results showed that EGCG inhibited the proliferation assay, TRAP assay for telomerase activity of both cell lines. Although cell apoptosis was induced, we observed that the expression of pKi-67 was suppressed. Our data suggest that EGCG may be effective for the treatment of cervical adenocarcinoma. The mechanisms of the anti-tumor effects were revealed to be the inhibition of telomerase activity, the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle dysregulation.