Immune Effects

EGCG is the main immune-relevant catechin in green tea oncology research.

Immune overview

Beyond direct tumour-cell effects, EGCG appears to influence the tumour microenvironment and several arms of anti-tumour immunity.

Reported immune effects

NK-cell support

• May enhance natural killer cell activity

• Supports interest in tumour-cell killing capacity

Macrophage effects

• May shift macrophage behaviour away from tumour-supportive patterns

• May reduce inflammatory signalling that tumours exploit chronically

Dendritic-cell and T-cell relevance

• May improve dendritic-cell function in selected models

• Supports interest in better T-cell priming and tumour recognition

Broader microenvironment effects

• Modulates cytokine patterns

• Influences inflammatory burden

• Links to PD-L1 and tumour-immune signalling remain an active area of study

Practical interpretation

EGCG's immune effects are one reason it remains interesting as an adjunct. Like many green tea mechanisms, the strongest evidence is still preclinical, but the biological rationale is strong.

Key References

The roles of epigallocatechin gallate in the tumour microenvironment, metabolic reprogramming, and anti-cancer therapy
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1331641/full

Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Therapeutic Potential in Cancer: Mechanism of Action and Clinical Implications
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10343677/