Abstract

PALACIO SANCHEZ, Eliana; RIBERO VARGAS, Marcel Enrique  and  RESTREPO GUTIERREZ, Juan Carlos. Hepatotoxicity due to green tea consumption (Camellia Sinensis): A review. Rev Col Gastroenterol [online]. 2013, vol.28, n.1, pp.46-52. ISSN 0120-9957.

As consumption of green tea has increased in recent years, so too have reports of its adverse effects. Hepatotoxicity is apparently caused by enzymatic interaction that leads to cellular damage and interference with biological response systems and metabolic reactions. This review article introduces the morphological characteristics and biochemical components of the green tea plant, camellia sinensis. Analysis of clinical trials, in-vitro trials and pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic studies then shed light on some of the mechanisms by which green tea causes hepatic damage. Examples are the chemical interactions with enzymes such as UDPGT, alcohol dehydrogenase and cytochrome P450 and interactions with the mitochondrial enzyme and immune systems. These forms of cellular lesions are correlated with case reports in the scientific literature which clarify the spectrum of hepatic damage associated with the consumption of green tea. This analysis finds that even though the mechanisms by which green tea causes hepatic toxicity are still a mystery, certain catechins of camellia sinensis and interactions at the cellular and mitochondrial levels may be responsible for this toxicity. On this basis, social and political preventive measures regarding intake of this natural product at levels can be justified

Keywords : Hepatotoxicity; green tea; camellia sinensis; catechins.

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