Polyphenon E inhibits the growth of human Barrett's and aerodigestive adenocarcinoma cells by suppressing cyclin D1 expression.

Purpose: Green tea consumption has been shown to exhibit cancer-preventive activities in preclinical studies. Polyphenon E (Poly E) is a well-defined green tea-derived catechin mixture. This study was designed to determine the effects of Poly E on the growth of human Barrett's and aerodigestive adenocarcinoma cells and the mechanisms involved in growth regulation by this agent.

Experimental Design: Human adenocarcinoma cells and immortalized Barrett's epithelial cells were used as model systems.

Results: Poly E inhibited the proliferation of immortalized Barrett's cells as well as various adenocarcinoma cells, and this was associated with the down-regulation of cyclin D1 protein expression. Inhibition of cyclin D1 led to dephosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein in a dose-dependent manner; these changes were associated with G(1) cell cycle arrest. Poly E down-regulated cyclin D1 promoter activity and mRNA expression, suggesting transcriptional repression, and this correlated with decreased nuclear beta-catenin and beta-catenin/TCF4 transcriptional activity. MG132, an inhibitor of 26S proteosome, blocked the Poly E-induced down-regulation of cyclin D1, and Poly E promoted cyclin D1 polyubiquitination, suggesting that Poly E also inhibits cyclin D1 expression by promoting its degradation.

Conclusion: Poly E inhibits growth of transformed aerodigestive epithelial cells by suppressing cyclin D1 expression through both transcriptional and posttranslational mechanisms. These results provide insight into the mechanisms by which Poly E inhibits growth of Barrett's and adenocarcinoma cells, and provides a rationale for using this agent as a potential chemopreventive and therapeutic strategy for esophageal adenocarcinoma and its precursor, Barrett's esophagus.