<p>A compound found in green tea may help combat the joint pain, inflammation and tissue damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis, researchers, including those from India, have claimed.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating autoimmune disorder that mostly affects the small joints of the hands and feet. It causes painful swelling that progresses into cartilage damage, bone erosion and joint deformity.<br /><br />"Existing drugs for rheumatoid arthritis are expensive, immunosuppressive and sometimes unsuitable for long-term use," said Salah-uddin Ahmed,lead researcher on the project from Washington State University (WSU) in Spokane.<br /><br />His team evaluated a phytochemical called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is a molecule with anti-inflammatory properties found in green tea.<br /><br />The study suggests that EGCG has high potential as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis because of how effectively the molecule blocks the effects of the disease without blocking other cellular functions.<br /><br />"This study has opened the field of research into using EGCG for targeting TAK1 - an important signalling protein - through which proinflammatory cytokines transmit their signals to cause inflammation and tissue destruction in rheumatoid arthritis," said Ahmed.<br /><br />The researchers, including Anil Singh and Sadiq Umar from WSU, confirmed their findings in a pre-clinical animal model of human rheumatoid arthritis, where they observed that ankle swelling in animals given EGCG in a 10-day treatment plan was markedly reduced.<br /><br />The team joined researchers from the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research in Bihar for this project.<br /><br />The research was published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology. </p>
<p>A compound found in green tea may help combat the joint pain, inflammation and tissue damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis, researchers, including those from India, have claimed.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating autoimmune disorder that mostly affects the small joints of the hands and feet. It causes painful swelling that progresses into cartilage damage, bone erosion and joint deformity.<br /><br />"Existing drugs for rheumatoid arthritis are expensive, immunosuppressive and sometimes unsuitable for long-term use," said Salah-uddin Ahmed,lead researcher on the project from Washington State University (WSU) in Spokane.<br /><br />His team evaluated a phytochemical called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is a molecule with anti-inflammatory properties found in green tea.<br /><br />The study suggests that EGCG has high potential as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis because of how effectively the molecule blocks the effects of the disease without blocking other cellular functions.<br /><br />"This study has opened the field of research into using EGCG for targeting TAK1 - an important signalling protein - through which proinflammatory cytokines transmit their signals to cause inflammation and tissue destruction in rheumatoid arthritis," said Ahmed.<br /><br />The researchers, including Anil Singh and Sadiq Umar from WSU, confirmed their findings in a pre-clinical animal model of human rheumatoid arthritis, where they observed that ankle swelling in animals given EGCG in a 10-day treatment plan was markedly reduced.<br /><br />The team joined researchers from the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research in Bihar for this project.<br /><br />The research was published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology. </p>