Key points from article :
An antioxidant found in green tea may increase levels of p53, a natural anti-cancer protein.
"EGCG is able to boost p53's anti-cancer activity, opening the door to drugs with EGCG-like compounds," - Chunyu Wang, corresponding author.
P53 has several anti-cancer functions - halting cell growth, activating DNA repair, and initiating programmed cell death.
EGCG is a natural antioxidant, found in abundance in green tea.
It helps to undo the near constant damage caused by using oxygen metabolism.
p53 is quickly degraded when the N-terminal domain interacts with a protein called MDM2.
This regular cycle of production and degradation holds p53 levels at a low constant.
"When EGCG binds with p53, the protein is not being degraded through MDM2....more p53 for anti-cancer function," - Wang.
Study by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute published in the Journal Nature Communications.
