Contact information
Senior Lecturer
University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Research Experiences

Catechins are polyphenolic chemicals which are contained in a variety of natural products such as green tea. There is experimental and epidemiological evidence which indicates that these chemicals have anticancer properties. One theory is that they will inhibit breast tumor growth by acting as estrogen receptor antagonists. However, this has not been conclusively proven. Therefore, the three main catechins (EGCG, EGC and ECG) were screened to determine both their relative binding affinities for ER and ER and their ability to produce a functional response in reporter gene assays for both receptor subtypes. The results from experiments performed in Dr. Zacharewski's laboratory will be paired with in vivo ER-mediated responses and therefore provide a complete understanding of the estrogenic potential of this class of chemicals.