Abstract: Objective To investigate effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate(EGCG) on the lymphangiogenesis of transplanted breast carcinoma in mice. Methods First, to establish the models of transplanted tumors in nude mice, a total of 30 nude mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: Saline group,5-FU control group,20mg/kg EGCG group,10mg/kg EGCG group,5mg/kg EGCG group. Immunohistochemical staining method was used to detect the expression of VEGF-C and lymphatic vessel endothelium in transplanted breast carcinoma, and the lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor-1 (LYVE-1) was used as the specific lymphatic endothelial marker for detecting microvessel density and area of lymphatic vessels. The expression of VEGF-C protein level in transplanted breast carcinoma was observed by using Western blotting in the different groups. Results The immunohistochemical staining revealed that the expression of VEGF-C was significantly reduced in EGCG 10mg/kg, 20mg/kg in dose-dependant manner compared with saline group(EM>P/EM>0.05),the density and area of lymphatic vessels in 20mg/kg EGCG group was lower and less than that of the other groups(EM>P/EM>0.05). Western blotting showed that the expression of VEGF-C protein also was significantly reduced in 20mg/kg group compared with the saline group(EM>P/EM>0.05). Conclusion GCG can inhibit significantly the expression of VEGF-C and the lymphangiogensis of breas

Key words: Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, Xenograft, Vascular endothelial growth factor C, Lymphangiogensis, Immunohistochemistry, Nude mouse