Green tea is often considered a healthy drink for the brain. The antioxidant and detoxifying properties of green tea extract make it effective in relieving many serious diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. However, scientists still do not fully understand the molecular mechanism of its action.

Recently, researchers from McMaster University have made a new breakthrough in this problem. Preclinical evidence suggests that the green tea extract EGCG can interfere with the aggregation of toxic substances, thereby inhibiting the decline in cognitive performance in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

"At the molecular level, we think EGCG is able to coat the surface of toxic oligomers, changing the way they grow and interact with healthy cells." The article's author, Professor Dr Professor from the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology said.

The results, based on a decade of NMR technology, were published as a cover article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The results may lead to the development of new drugs and treatments.

Despite decades of work in this field, the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is still not fully understood, and the means of treatment are very limited. "We all know that there is no effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease, so the best way to deal with it is to actively prevent it. This means that using green tea extract can have an effective preventive effect before 15 to 25 years."

Next, the researchers plan to modify EGCG to make it a regular food additive. For example, at present, EGCG is not stable under normal temperature conditions, so it is difficult to be directly absorbed by the body.

Original source: RashikAhmedetal.MolecularMechanismforthe(−)-EpigallocatechinGallate-InducedToxictoNontoxicRemodelingofAβOligomers,JournaloftheAmericanChemicalSociety(2017).DOI