Research Projects

The study focuses on the potential of Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in the tea leaves of Camelia sinensis, a major plantation crop in India. EGCG is a bioactive catechin found in tea leaves, but its use for pharmacological and therapeutic purposes faces challenges such as low systemic half-life and oral bioavailability due to gut microbiota-dependent degradation. The study found that oral administration of purified EGCG and (+)-catechin can affect gut microbiota and limit NASH by mitigating gut barrier dysfunction and TLR4/NF-κB-dependent hepatic inflammation in mice. The study also showed favorable yet differential modulation of hepatocellular global metabolome by whole tea extract, EGCG, and (+)-catechin. However, the extraintestinal benefits of EGCG are not mediated by EGCG itself, but by the bioavailable small metabolites generated by gut microbial degradation. The study proposes an optimized and scalable process for efficient production, isolation, and purification of pharmacologically bioactive EGCG from tea leaves, development and pharmacokinetic exploration of gut microbiota-resistant mucoadhesive bio-nano-encapsulations, and the improved efficacy of bio-nano-encapsulated EGCG for maintaining hepatic immunometabolic homeostasis. The proposed processes and products could be applied to other bioactive phytochemicals with poor bioavailability, providing an efficient, low-cost, and sustainable approach for orally consumed biopharmaceuticals.