(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate attenuates acute stress responses through GABAergic system in the brain

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a flavonoid, is the principal catechin found in green tea and is distributed in the brain after tea consumption. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of EGCG in the chick brain under an acute stressful condition and to clarify the mechanism by which EGCG attenuates stress behavior with special reference to γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of EGCG (50, 100 and 200 μg) suppressed the vocalization which normally occurs during social separation stress. EGCG decreased the time spent in active wakefulness and induced sleep-like behavior in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, i.c.v. injection of EGCG attenuated plasma corticosterone release under social separation stress. These effects of EGCG on distress-induced vocalization were significantly attenuated by the GABA_A receptor antagonist picrotoxin but not by the GABA_B receptor antagonist CGP 54626 (3-N-(1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethylamino)-2-hydroxypropyl cyclohexylmethyl phosphinic acid hydrochloride). These results indicate that EGCG has sedative and hypnotic effects in the brain, partially through GABA_A receptors, and consequently moderates an acute stress response.