MATERIALS AND METHODS
Chemicals. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCg) and (-)-epigallocatechin
(EGC) were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich Japan (Tokyo). General
anaerobic medium (GAM) was obtained from Nissui Pharmaceutical
(Tokyo, Japan). All other chemicals were available products of analytical
grade or HPLC grade.
Animals. Male Wistar rats were purchased from Charles Liver
Laboratories Inc. (Yokohama, Japan) and housed in a room at 23 (
3 C and 50 ( 5% relative humidity, with a 12 h light-dark cycle. The rats
were given normal pelleted food (Oriental Yeast Ltd., Tokyo, Japan)