Tea polyphenol epigallocatechin 3-gallate impedes the anti-apoptotic effects of low-grade repetitive stress through inhibition of Akt and NFκB survival pathways

V79 Chinese Hamster lung fibroblasts were subjected to repetitive low-grade stress through multiple exposures to 30 μM H2O2 in culture for 4 weeks. Akt/protein kinase B became phosphorylated at serine473 and threonine308 during this period of repetitive stress. Concurrent exposure of the cells to LY294002 (5 μM), a phosphoinositide-3 kinase inhibitor or 4.5 μM epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), a tea polyphenol almost completely blocked Akt activation by repetitive stress. Phosphorylation of I kappa B kinase (IKK) and transcriptional activity driven by nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) were significantly enhanced by repetitive oxidative stress. These increases were largely abolished by simultaneous exposure to EGCG. The repetitively stressed cells demonstrated a significant resistance to apoptosis by subsequent acute stress in the form of ultraviolet radiation at 5 J/m2 or H2O2 (7.5 mM). The resistance to apoptosis conferred by repetitive stress was drastically reduced (>80%) by constant exposure to EGCG during the stress period while the presence of LY294002 or the NFκB inhibitor SN50 brought about a relatively moderate effect (about 50–65%). Our data indicate that activation of Akt and NFκB pro-survival pathways by repetitive low-grade stress results in a strong inhibition of the normal apoptotic response after subsequent acute stress. The tea polyphenol EGCG impedes the activation of both Akt and NFκB by repetitive stress and as a result preserves the normal apoptotic response during subsequent acute stress.