Neuroprotection by Tea Bioactive Components in Alzheimer’s Disease: a Review
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Abstract:
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of central nervous system. The clinical manifestations of this disease are the decline in cognitive capacity and memory, and the main pathological characteristics of AD are intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular senile plaque in neurons. At present, various hypotheses on the AD pathogenesis have been reported, such as amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) cascade hypothesis, Tau hyperphosphorylation hypothesis, cholinergic hypothesis, oxidative stress hypothesis, etc. Tea contains catechins, theanine, and other natural bioactive components. Previous studies have shown that the bioactive components of tea can provide multi-targeted neuroprotection in AD. Particularly through the regulation of α-, β-, and γ-secretase activities or protein kinase C and other signaling pathways, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) can reduce the production of Aβ, prevent the aggregation of Aβ or disassemble the preformed Aβ fibrils, inhibit hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein, modulate levels of neurotransmitters (acetylcholine and glutamate), and increase the resistance to oxidative stress, thus preventing AD. The main findings on pathogeneses of AD and the research progress on the neuroprotective mechanisms of tea bioactive components in AD over the last decade are reviewed in this paper.
