EGCG was discovered as an antifibrotic in pre-clinical in vivo studies with a mechanism of action blocking collagen accumulation that was published in 2017. A pilot study was conducted in 2019 in which EGCG given daily for two weeks to UCSF ILD patients scheduled for diagnostic lung biopsy. 

Biopsies were analyzed for pro-fibrotic markers in tissues from 10 patients given EGCG and 10 controls. EGCG markedly attenuated pro-fibrotic signaling and new collagen accumulation in IPF patient tissues. Data from this study suggest that patients with IPF would benefit from EGCG treatment by reducing fibrogenesis, warranting a longer clinical trial in patients with this condition. 

The investigation was supported by a grant from Three Lakes Foundation and was led by Harold A. Chapman, MD, a Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. "Reversal of TGFβ1-Driven Profibrotic State in Patients with Pulmonary Fibrosis" was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. To read the article, a PDF can be found in the Publications section of this website or by clicking here.