(-)-Catechin

Catechins have wide biological functionality, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticancer activities. Catechins also play a key role in regulating carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. (-)-Catechin is comparatively less bioavailable than the stereoisomer (+)-catechin for intestinal absorption. It shows antioxidant (free radical scavenging) and antidiabetic activities. (-)-Catechin has been shown to be a stereoselective PPARgamma agonist. It activates PPARgamma in a dose-dependent fashion, promotes adipocyte differentiation and increases sensitivity to insulin. It markedly suppresses the expression of Kruppel-like factor 7 (KLF7) protein, which has recently been reported to inhibit the expression of adiponectin and other adipogenesis related genes, including leptin, PPARgamma, C/EBPalpha, and aP2 in adipocytes. It also has shown to have anti-reverse transcriptase activity and maltase inhibitory activity. (-)-Catechin can also been used as a reference compound in high-performance liquid chromatography for quantification of polyphenols from plant extracts (HPLC).