Theaflavine-3,3'-digallate is a bioactive tea polyphenol compound. It is an effective inhibitor of the Zika virus (ZIKV) protease with an IC50 of 2.3 μM [1]. Theaflavine-3,3'-digallate directly binds to ZIKVpro (Kd = 8.86μM) and inhibits ZIKV replication. Theaflavine-3,3'-digallate can inhibit the activities of gp41 and NS2B-3 proteases and has antiviral activities against HSV and HIV-1 [2]. Theaflavine-3,3'-digallate is an effective anti-tumor agent and can also be used to study the regulatory effect of intestinal microbiota composition [3].
In vitro, Theaflavine-3,3'-digallate (5-30μM; 3, 72h) pretreatment exhibits growth inhibitory effects on HCT116 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, leading to cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis, and inhibiting COX-2, iNOS, and ERK1/2 expression [5]. Theaflavine-3,3'-digallate (0-20μM; 6 days) treatment dose-dependently increases the sensitivity of SNU-216 and NCI-N87 cells to trastuzumab (Trast) and reduces cell proliferation [6].
In vivo, Theaflavine-3,3'-digallate (50mg/kg/day; 21 days; i.p.) combined with trastuzumab treatment significantly inhibits tumor growth in xenograft mice carrying NCI-N87 tumor cells and induces a sharp regression of tumors, effectively blocking SHCBP1 nuclear translocation and inhibiting MISP phosphorylation [6].
References:
[1] Cui X, Zhou R, Huang C, et al. Identification of Theaflavin-3,3'-Digallate as a Novel Zika Virus Protease Inhibitor. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:514313. Published 2020 Oct 21.
[2] Lian Y, Huang Z, Liu X, et al. Discovery of Ten Anti-HIV Hit Compounds and Preliminary Pharmacological Mechanisms Studies[J]. Current HIV Research, 2024, 22(2): 82-90.
[3] Xue Z, Junli Y I N, Jiaxiang W, et al. Research Progress on Anti-Tumor Mechanism of Theaflavins Natural Products[J]. Cancer Research on Prevention and Treatment, 2022, 49(8): 820-826.
[4] Qu F, Liu S, He C, et al. Comparison of the effects of green and black tea extracts on Na+/K+‐ATPase activity in intestine of type 1 and type 2 diabetic mice[J]. Molecular nutrition & food research, 2019, 63(17): 1801039.
[5] Ding Y, Chen B, Gao Z, Suo H, Xiao H. Pre-treated theaflavin-3,3'-digallate has a higher inhibitory effect on the HCT116 cell line. Food Nutr Res. 2017 Nov 15;61(1):1400340.
[6] Shi W, Zhang G, Ma Z, et al. Hyperactivation of HER2-SHCBP1-PLK1 axis promotes tumor cell mitosis and impairs trastuzumab sensitivity to gastric cancer[J]. Nature Communications, 2021, 12(1): 2812.
















