PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Rezai-Zadeh, Kavon AU - Shytle, Doug AU - Sun, Nan AU - Mori, Takashi AU - Hou, Huayan AU - Jeanniton, Deborah AU - Ehrhart, Jared AU - Townsend, Kirk AU - Zeng, Jin AU - Morgan, David AU - Hardy, John AU - Town, Terrence AU - Tan, Jun TI - Green Tea Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) Modulates Amyloid Precursor Protein Cleavage and Reduces Cerebral Amyloidosis in Alzheimer Transgenic Mice AID - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1521-05.2005 DP - 2005 Sep 21 TA - The Journal of Neuroscience PG - 8807--8814 VI - 25 IP - 38 4099 - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/25/38/8807.short 4100 - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/25/38/8807.full SO - J. Neurosci.2005 Sep 21; 25 AB - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder pathologically characterized by deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides as senile plaques in the brain. Recent studies suggest that green tea flavonoids may be used for the prevention and treatment of a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we report that (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the main polyphenolic constituent of green tea, reduces Aβ generation in both murine neuron-like cells (N2a) transfected with the human “Swedish” mutant amyloid precursor protein (APP) and in primary neurons derived from Swedish mutant APP-overexpressing mice (Tg APPsw line 2576). In concert with these observations, we find that EGCG markedly promotes cleavage of the α-C-terminal fragment of APP and elevates the N-terminal APP cleavage product, soluble APP-α. These cleavage events are associated with elevated α-secretase activity and enhanced hydrolysis of tumor necrosis factor α-converting enzyme, a primary candidate α-secretase. As a validation of these findings in vivo, we treated Tg APPsw transgenic mice overproducing Aβ with EGCG and found decreased Aβ levels and plaques associated with promotion of the nonamyloidogenic α-secretase proteolytic pathway. These data raise the possibility that EGCG dietary supplementation may provide effective prophylaxis for AD.