epicatechin
Veterinary World, EISSN: 2231-0916
Available at www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.10/August-2017/6.pdf
REVIEW ARTICLE
Open Access
Therapeutic uses of epicatechin in diabetes and cancer
Layth Abdulmajeed Abdulkhaleq1,2, Mohammed Abdulrazzaq Assi3,4, Mohd Hezmee Mohd Noor3, Rasedee Abdullah1,
Mohd Zamri Saad1 and Yun Hin Taufiq-Yap5
1. Department of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnostics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400
Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia; 2. Department of Pathology and Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Baghdad
University, Baghdad, Iraq; 3. Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti
Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia; 4. Department of Community Health, College of Health and Medical
Techniques, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, Iraq; 5. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra
Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Corresponding author: Rasedee Abdullah, e-mail: rasedee@upm.edu.my
Co-authors: LAA: alsufi1972@yahoo.com, MAA: razaq_assi@yahoo.com, MHMN: hezmee@upm.edu.my,
MZS: mzamri@upm.edu.my, YHT: taufiq@upm.edu.my
Received: 15-03-2017, Accepted: 13-06-2017, Published online: 06-08-2017
doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2017.869-872 How to cite this article: Abdulkhaleq LA, Assi MA, Noor MHM, Abdullah R, Saad MZ,
Taufiq-Yap YH (2017) Therapeutic uses of epicatechin in diabetes and cancer, Veterinary World, 10(8): 869-872.
Abstract
Epicatechin is a natural flavonoid found in green tea. It has been reported to possess an immense antioxidant effect which
contributes to its therapeutic effect against a handful of ailments. In this review, we discuss its therapeutic role in the
management of two of the most important human diseases; diabetes and cancer. The consumption of epicatechin has
been shown to reduce blood glucose levels in diabetic patients, while is anticancer effect was attributed to its antioxidant
properties, antiangiogenic and direct cytotoxicity to cancer cells. Although the exact mechanism of action of epicatechin
is still being explored, there is no doubt that it is a promising candidate as an alternative. The significance of this review is
to highlight the importance of the usage of natural products (in this case, epicatechin) as an alternative for the treatment of
two potentially fatal diseases which is diabetes and cancer. The aim of this review is to educate the scientific community
on the role of epicatechin in ameliorating the effects of diabetes and cancers on human while understanding the potential
mechanisms of these aforementioned effects.