THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF CAMELLIA SINENSIS: PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE AND DIVERSE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES

Camellia sinensis is a commonly used medicinal plant that is abundant in bioactive phytochemicals having varied restorative qualities. Recent progress in research on natural products has brought an emphasis on its possible role in antitubercular therapy, both due to its general pharmacological action and to more recent findings of host-directed effects. The diverse phytoconstituents, such as phenols, tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids, and carbohydrates etc. All these phytochemical components are associated with potent antioxidant activity and a wide range of antimicrobial actions against a variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens is further evidence of the therapeutic value of C. sinensis. This implies that the underlying mechanisms, the processes, which are common with pathways toward mycobacterial susceptibility, are membrane disruption, enzyme inhibition, and protein precipitation. During its discovery, notably, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the main catechin in green tea, has a proven antitubercular mechanism that is host directed, with transcription of TACO gene by Sp1 being suppressed by EGCG in macrophage. TACO down-regulation can be reversed, resulting in a process of phagosome-lysosome fusion, which results in the effective elimination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the cell. This process provides a complementary tool that has a potential to be used with standard TB treatment especially with the development of drug resistance. Other pharmacological action such as antitumor, antidiabetic and cytoprotective action further enhances the extensive bioactivity of C. sinensis. The toxicity tests always indicate that the level of toxicity is very high and there are no serious adverse effects at therapeutic and higher doses.