Green tea and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG: one of the main components of green tea) are reported to have cancer-preventive activity in humans. A previous SAR study of EGCG and derivatives indicated that a galloyl group is essential for the activity. To test this hypothesis, we synthesized various alkyl gallate and gallamide derivatives and evaluated their antiproliferative effects on human leukemia HL-60 cells. Dodecyl 3, 4, 5- ...