Abstract
It has recently been reported that the major green tea polyphenolic constituent, epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), mimics the cellular effects of insulin including the reductive effect on the gene expression of rate-limiting gluconeogenic enzymes in a cell culture system. We show that administration of green tea that contains EGCG caused a reduction in the level of mRNAs for gluconeogenic enzymes, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose-6-phosphatase in the mouse liver. EGCG alone was also found to down-regulate the gene expression of these enzymes but not so curcumin or quercetin. The results of this study support the idea that green tea intake may be beneficial in the prevention of diabetes mellitus.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Catechin / administration & dosage
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Catechin / analogs & derivatives*
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Catechin / pharmacology
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Catechin / therapeutic use
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DNA Primers
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Diabetes Mellitus / drug therapy
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Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
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Gene Expression / drug effects
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Gluconeogenesis / drug effects*
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Glucose-6-Phosphatase / drug effects
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Glucose-6-Phosphatase / genetics
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Hypoglycemic Agents / administration & dosage
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Hypoglycemic Agents / pharmacology*
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Hypoglycemic Agents / therapeutic use
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Liver / drug effects*
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Liver / enzymology
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Male
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Mice
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Phytotherapy*
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Plant Extracts / administration & dosage
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Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
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Plant Extracts / therapeutic use
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Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / drug effects
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Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
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RNA, Messenger / biosynthesis
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RNA, Messenger / drug effects*
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Random Allocation
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Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Tea*
Substances
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DNA Primers
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Hypoglycemic Agents
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Plant Extracts
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RNA, Messenger
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Tea
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Catechin
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epigallocatechin gallate
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phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase kinase
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Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
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Glucose-6-Phosphatase