Conditions: Healthy
Keywords: Normal volunteer study
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 68
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether topically applied constituents of green tea \[caffeine or (-)-epigallocatechin gallate; EGCG\] have a protective effect on skin exposed to ultraviolet light (UV).

Detailed description:
The purpose of this study is to investigate if topically applied constituents of green tea \[caffeine or (-) - epigallocatechin gallate; EGCG\] have a protective effect on skin exposed to ultraviolet light (UV). In the double-blinded study all subjects will receive 311 nanometer UVB light at a dose that is 0.5-1.5X their individual minimal erythema dose (MED). One part of the experiment will involve applying a topical natural product (caffeine or EGCG) and placebo to bilateral symmetric sites. The natural product and the placebo will be applied immediately after and at 1/2 hour, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, 25 hours, and 27 hours after exposure to a 0.5-1.5 MED dose of UV light. Another part of the study involves performing skin biopsies. One will be done prior to UVB exposure, 2 will be done at 24 hours and 2 more will be done at 48 hours.

Arms:
arm 1: bilateral comparison of green tea constituent arm 2: bilateral comparison of placebo vehicle

Interventions: intervention 1: Green Tea intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Green tea product (EGCG or caffeine) in vehicle will be applied immediately after and at sequential time points after exposure of a 5x5-cm area of skin to a dose of UVB that is 0.5-2 times the subject's minimal erythema dose (MED) intervention 2: Placebo (vehicle alone) will be applied immediately after and at sequential time points after exposure of a 5x5-cm area of skin to a dose of UVB that is 0.5-2 times the subject's minimal erythema dose (MED)

Protocol document: