EGCG has shown a neuroprotective effect in cell-experimental and animal studies. The neuroprotective mechanism of EGCG probably bases - besides the known antioxidant effect - amongst others on the modulation of several signal transduction pathways, the influence on the expression of genes which regulate cell survival resp. programmed cell death, as well as the modulation of the mitochondrial function. In different Alzheimer models EGCG seems to cause an induction of alpha-secretase and the endothelin-converting-enzyme, as well as to prevent the aggregation of beta-amyloid to toxic oligomers through the direct binding to the unfolded peptide.