Oral Green Tea Extract and Milk Thistle Extract to Colorectal Cancer Patients Undergoing Resection

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Green tea extract and Silibinin (from the milk thistle plant) have both been shown in experimental studies to have anti-cancer effects as well as limited toxicity. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the major active catechin in green tea; it has been shown to prevent and limit tumor growth in muri...

Green tea extract and Silibinin (from the milk thistle plant) have both been shown in experimental studies to have anti-cancer effects as well as limited toxicity. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the major active catechin in green tea; it has been shown to prevent and limit tumor growth in murine models1-3. Silymarin, which is extracted from the seeds of the milk thistle plant, is used clinically as a hepatoprotective agent in Europe4. Its major active component, Silibinin, is well-tolerated and largely free of adverse effects5-6. In recent studies, Silibinin has been shown to inhibit the growth of a number of cancers in mouse models, including lung7, bladder8, liver9, prostate10, and colon11-12. Silibinin and EGCG have similar anti-neoplastic mechanisms including: 1) cell cycle arrest via upregulation of P21 and P27 and downregulation of CDK, 2) induction of apoptosis via Caspase-3 activation and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and 3) suppression of angiogenesis and metastasis via inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9)

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