ReviewTea: A native source of antimicrobial agents

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is one of the most popular nonalcoholic beverages, consumed by over two-thirds of the world's population because of its refreshing, mild stimulant and medicinal properties. It is processed in different ways in different parts of the world to give green, black, oolong, and pu-erh tea. Among all tea polyphenols, epigallocatechin-3-gallate has been responsible for much of the health promoting abilities of tea including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antitumour, anti-oxidative, protection from cardiovascular disease, anti-obesity, and anti-aging properties. In the present review, the antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activities of different types of tea and their polyphenols are reported, highlighting their mechanisms of action and structure-activity relationship. Moreover, considering that the changing patterns of infectious diseases and the emergence of microbial strains resistant to current antibiotics, there is an urgent need to find out new potent antimicrobial agents as adjuvants to antibiotic therapy. The synergistic effect of tea polyphenols in combination with conventional antimicrobial agents against clinical multidrug-resistant microorganisms has also been discussed in this review.

► The antimicrobial activity of teas and their polyphenols was reviewed. ► EGCG was the most active tea polyphenol responsible for antimicrobial activity. ► EGCG directly binds to peptidoglycan and induces damage of the bacterial cell wall. ► The synergism of tea polyphenols and antibiotics was discussed. ► The low bioavailability is the main problem with tea polyphenols.