Sachdeva, Anand Kamal, Kuhad, Anurag, Chopra, Kanwaljit · Brain research bulletin · 2011 · DOI
Researchers gave rats a substance called EGCG (found in green tea) to see if it could help with fatigue caused by physical and mental stress. The rats that received EGCG showed improvements in tiredness, concentration, and pain compared to rats that didn't receive it, suggesting this compound might have potential as a treatment for ME/CFS.
This study identifies a potential mechanism underlying ME/CFS pathology (oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines) and demonstrates that a natural, orally available compound can reverse fatigue-related deficits in an animal model, suggesting a testable therapeutic avenue for future human clinical trials.
This animal study does not prove that EGCG will be effective or safe in ME/CFS patients, nor does it establish that oxidative stress and TNF-α elevation are primary causes (rather than consequences) of ME/CFS in humans. Rat models of induced fatigue may not fully recapitulate the complex pathophysiology of human ME/CFS.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Sachdeva, Anand Kamal, Kuhad, Anurag, & Chopra, Kanwaljit (2011). Epigallocatechin gallate ameliorates behavioral and biochemical deficits in rat model of load-induced chronic fatigue syndrome.. Brain research bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2011.06.007
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sachdeva-2011-epigallocatechin-gallate,
author = {Sachdeva, Anand Kamal and Kuhad, Anurag and Chopra, Kanwaljit},
title = {Epigallocatechin gallate ameliorates behavioral and biochemical deficits in rat model of load-induced chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Brain research bulletin},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1016/j.brainresbull.2011.06.007},
note = {PubMed: 21821105},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sachdeva-2011-epigallocatechin-gallate},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sachdeva-2011-epigallocatechin-gallate
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