United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Comprehensive Review of the Hepatotoxicity of Green Tea Extracts

Publication date: Available online 15 February 2020Source: Toxicology ReportsAuthor(s): Hellen A. Oketch-Rabah, Amy L. Roe, Cynthia V. Rider, Herbert L. Bonkovsky, Gabriel I. Giancaspro, Victor Navarro, Mary F. Paine, Joseph M. Betz, Robin J. Marles, Steven Casper, Bill Gurley, Scott A. Jordan, Kan He, Mahendra P. Kapoor, Theertham P. Rao, Averell H. Sherker, Robert J. Fontana, Simona Rossi, Raj Vuppalanchi, Leonard B. SeeffABSTRACTAs part of the United States Pharmacopeia’s ongoing review of dietary supplement safety data, a new comprehensive systematic review on green tea extracts (GTE) has been completed. GTEs may contain hepatotoxic solvent residues, pesticide residues, pyrrolizidine alkaloids and elemental impurities, but no evidence of their involvement in GTE-induced liver injury was found during this review. GTE catechin profiles vary significantly with manufacturing processes. Animal and human data indicate that repeated oral administration of bolus doses of GTE during fasting significantly increases bioavailability of catechins, specifically EGCG, possibly involving saturation of first-pass elimination mechanisms. Toxicological studies show a hepatocellular pattern of liver injury. Published adverse event case reports associate hepatotoxicity with EGCG intake amounts from 140 mg to ∼1,000 mg/day and substantial inter-individual variability in susceptibility, possibly due to genetic factors. Based on these findings, USP included a cautionary labeling requirem...
Source: Toxicology Reports - Category: Toxicology Source Type: research