​Compound in green tea plant shows potential for fighting tuberculosis, finds research team led by NTU Singapore

An antioxidant found in the green tea plant could become key to tackling tuberculosis one day, a team of international scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found.

Through laboratory investigations, the team led by NTU Professor Gerhard Grüber discovered how the prominent compound, known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), can inhibit the growth of a tuberculosis-causing bacteria strain.

The EGCG does so by binding to an enzyme that provides biological energy for cellular activity. The process results in a dip in the amount of energy the bacteria has for its cellular processes vital for growth and stability, such as cell wall formation.

The team, which includes NTU Associate Professor Roderick Bates, National University of Singapore (NUS) Professor Thomas Dick, and collaborators from the US and New Zealand, also identified the exact sites on the enzyme at which the EGCG needs to bind to in order to affect energy production in the bacterial cell.

The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports in November. A patent has been filed for the identification of the EGCG as a possible form of treatment for tuberculosis.

Professor Gerhard Grüber from the NTU School of Biological Sciences said: “Though tuberculosis is curable, the success of current drugs on the market is increasingly being overshadowed by the bacteria’s clinical resistance. Our discovery of the EGCG’s ability to inhibit the growth of M. tuberculosis will allow us to look at how we can improve the potency of this compound in green tea, and other similar compounds, to develop new drugs to tackle this airborne disease.”