Biotech Updates

Green Tea Compound To Treat Genetic Disorder and Two Types of Tumors

August 19, 2011

A researcher team at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center headed by Thomas Smith discovered that green tea can be used for the development of drugs to treat a deadly genetic disorder and two types of tumors.

The genetic disorder known as hyperinsulinism/hyperammonemia (HHS) is caused by loss of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) regulation. In this disorder, patients (usually children) react to protein consumption by excessively secreting insulin, becoming severely hypoglycemic, which can be fatal. Smith and colleagues found green tea compounds that can compensate for HHS by shutting down GDH. They are currently investigating the atomic structure of the green tea compounds with the objective of using the compounds to produce better drugs for the disorder.

Two research teams also validated that blocking GDH with green tea is effective at killing two kinds of tumors, glioblastomas and tunerous sclerosis.

Read the news release at http://www.danforthcenter.org/wordpress/?page_id=395&pid=6491.