Researchers at Meharry Medical College have discovered that an extract of green tea could be used as a treatment for uterine fibroids, a disease that affects 40 percent of reproductive age women.

 

An article published in January in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology by Meharry’s Director of Clinical Research Ayman Al-Hendy, MD, and his team of investigators stated an extract of green tea has the ability to kill human leiomyoma cells in tissue cultures and could eradicate fibroid lesions in animal models. Al-Hendy said if the treatment is found to be effective in humans, it could change the lives of women who are currently faced with hysterectomy as their only treatment option.

 

“If we can prove this compound is effective, millions of women can start self treatment and self management,” he said.

 

The symptoms of uterine fibroids are often debilitating and include excessive vaginal bleeding, anemia, fatigue and lack of energy. In addition to a loss in productivity and increase in medical expenses, Al-Hendy said women who suffer from uterine fibroids often need advanced medical treatment in order to become pregnant, which takes both emotional and economic toll.

 

Al-Hendy and his team have conducted extensive research on the treatment of fibroid tumors and are searching for a cure for this disease, which disproportionately affects African-American women who are four times more likely to be affected than women from other ethnic groups. Researchers are currently in the process of recruiting participants for the human trials, which will begin soon.

 

The research will be conducted under the umbrella of the Meharry Clinical and Translational Research Center (MeTRC). In 2009, Meharry was awarded a $21.4 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) to establish MeTRC, which will help accelerate the process of turning laboratory discoveries into actual cures and treatments used by patients.