title: Neurological mechanisms of green tea polyphenols in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
abstract: Tea consumption is varying its status from a mere ancient beverage and a lifestyle habit, to a nutrient endowed with possible prospective neurobiological-pharmacological actions beneficial to human health. Accumulating evidence suggest that oxidative stress resulting in reactive oxygen species generation and inflammation play a pivotal role in neurodegenerative diseases, supporting the implementation of radical scavengers, transition metal (e.g., iron and copper) chelators, and nonvitamin natural antioxidant polyphenols in the clinic. These observations are in line with the current view that polyphenolic dietary supplementation may have an impact on cognitive deficits in individuals of advanced age. As a consequence, green tea polyphenols are now being considered as therapeutic agents in well controlled epidemiological studies, aimed to alter brain aging processes and to serve as possible neuroprotective agents in progressive neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. In particular, literature on the putative novel neuroprotective mechanism of the major green tea polyphenol, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, are examined and discussed in this review.
authors.affiliation: Eve Topf and USA National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research and Department of Pharmacology, Rappaport Family Research Institute, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, 31096 Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Orly
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Weinreb
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mandel
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Amit
authors.forename: Moussa B H
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Youdim
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D002392:Catechin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010636:Phenols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059808:Polyphenols; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013662:Tea / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D005419:Flavonoids; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010636:Phenols; D059808:Polyphenols; D013662:Tea; D002392:Catechin; C045651:epigallocatechin gallate