Assessing the Hepatic Safety of Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) in Reproductive-Aged Women

Siblini H, Al-Hendy A, Segars J, González F, Taylor HS, Singh B, Flaminia A, Flores VA, Christman GM, Huang H, Johnson JJ, Zhang H · Nutrients · 2023 January 09

DOI 10.3390/nu15020320

Objective

To assess any adverse effects of EGCG alone or in combination with an ovarian stimulator on serum liver function tests (LFTs) and folate level.

Conclusions

Our data suggests that a daily dose of 800 mg of EGCG alone or in combination with clomiphene citrate or letrozole (for 5 days) is well-tolerated and is not associated with liver toxicity or folate deficiency in reproductive-aged women.

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Insights

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea component, showed potential in treating uterine fibroids and associated infertility without causing liver toxicity or folate deficiency.

The study involved the pre-testing of a green tea substance known as Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on a cohort of premenopausal women, aged 18 to 40, with and without uterine fibroids, in order to evaluate its safety. The subjects were randomized into three groups, each receiving different treatments. One group took just a daily dose of 800 mg of EGCG, one group combined this EGCG dose with 100 mg of Clomiphene citrate for five days, and the third group combined it with 5 mg of Letrozole for the same period. The results showed that none of the subjects displayed signs of drug-induced liver injury, and all had normal serum folate levels. Hence, the findings suggest that the daily intake of 800mg of EGCG, whether consumed alone or in combination with Clomiphene citrate or Letrozole for five days, is well-tolerated and not related to any liver toxicity or folate deficiency in women of reproductive age.