ArticleCell & bioscience2021
Epigallocatechin gallate from green tea effectively blocks infection of SARS-CoV-2 and new variants by inhibiting spike binding to ACE2 receptor.
Article in Cell & bioscience, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 89 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Review of In Silico Research, SARS-CoV-2, and Neurodegeneration: Focus on Papain-Like Protease.Neurotoxicity research · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of Green Tea Gargling on COVID-19: A Multicenter RCT.AJPM focus · 2026Article
- Tea Polyphenols in the COVID-19 Era: Mechanistic Insights and Translational Challenges.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Review
- Pyrogallol B-ring enhances catechin binding to the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain to inhibit interaction with ACE2.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Sleep quality mediates the association between tea consumption and duration of COVID-19-related symptoms in middle-aged and elderly adults (aged 50 and above).Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors from Natural Product Repository as Therapeutic Candidates for the Treatment of Coronaviridae Infections.Current medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- COVID-19 Humic/Fulvic Acid Plus Epigallocatechin Gallate Treatment: A Retrospective Chart Review.Cureus · 2025Article
- Coffee and Green Tea Consumption With the Risk of COVID-19 Among the Vaccine Recipients in Japan: A Prospective Study.Journal of epidemiology · 2024Article
- Bile acids and coronavirus disease 2019.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2024Review
- Strengthening pharmacotherapy research for COVID-19-induced pulmonary fibrosis.World journal of clinical cases · 2024Article
- Label-free biomolecular and cellular methods in small molecule epigallocatechin-gallate research.Heliyon · 2024Review
- Article
- In silico study unfolds inhibitory potential of epicatechin gallate against SARS-CoV-2 entry and replication within the host cell.Mechanobiology in medicine · 2023Article
- Dual action of epigallocatechin-3-gallate in virus-induced cell Injury.Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology · 2023Article
- Pharmacogenomic Landscape of Ivermectin and Selective Antioxidants: Exploring Gene Interplay in the Context of Long COVID.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Effects of tea, catechins and catechin derivatives on Omicron subvariants of SARS-CoV-2.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Edible alginate-based films with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity.Food microbiology · 2023Article
- A Comprehensive Update of Various Attempts by Medicinal Chemists to Combat COVID-19 through Natural Products.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Protein expression/secretion boost by a novel unique 21-mer cis-regulatory motif (Exin21) via mRNA stabilization.Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy · 2023Article
- Indian food habit & food ingredients may have a role in lowering the severity & high death rate from COVID-19 in Indians: findings from the first nutrigenomic analysis.The Indian journal of medical research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
17 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAs the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the new SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged in the different regions of the world. These newly emerged variants have mutations in their spike (S) protein that may confer resistance to vaccine-elicited immunity and existing neutralizing antibody therapeutics. Therefore, there is still an urgent need of safe, effective, and affordable agents for prevention/treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and its variant infection.
resultsWe demonstrated that green tea beverage (GTB) or its major ingredient, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), were highly effective in inhibiting infection of live SARS-CoV-2 and human coronavirus (HCoV OC43). In addition, infection of the pseudoviruses with spikes of the new variants (UK-B.1.1.7, SA-B.1.351, and CA-B.1.429) was efficiently blocked by GTB or EGCG. Among the 4 active green tea catechins at noncytotoxic doses, EGCG was the most potent in the action against the viruses. The highest inhibitory activity was observed when the viruses or the cells were pre-incubated with EGCG prior to the infection. Mechanistic studies revealed that EGCG blocked infection at the entry step through interfering with the engagement of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the viral spikes to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor of the host cells.
conclusionsThese data support further clinical evaluation and development of EGCG as a novel, safe, and cost-effective natural product for prevention/treatment of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and infection.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.