Issues

Green tea is a popular beverage in East Asia that is gaining popularity as a health-promoting natural product in the Western world. It is a rich source of natural polyphenols, among which epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant. In this issue, Sojoodi et al. investigated the impact of EGCG on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and found a novel mechanism of EGCG-mediated chemoprevention (see the study beginning on page 497). Chronic liver injury leads to fibrosis, which can progress to cirrhosis — a major risk factor for HCC. Fibrosis results from the transdifferentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) into myofibroblasts, which deposit extracellular matrix and recruit immune cells to sites of injury. In cell culture and animal models, EGCG promoted senescence of HSCs, which in turn attenuated the progression of fibrosis to cirrhosis and ultimately prevented development of HCC. These results provide preclinical evidence that consumption of green tea or EGCG is a potentially safe and inexpensive HCC chemopreventive strategy. The image on the cover depicts immunofluorescent staining of liver tissue for α-smooth muscle actin (red) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (green) to identify activated HSCs, which were significantly decreased in the animals receiving EGCG in their drinking water.