Green Tea Chemical Combined With Another May Hold Promise For
Treatment Of Brain Disorders Scientists at Boston Biomedical
Research Institute (BBRI) and the University of Pennsylvania
have found that combining two chemicals, one of which is the
green tea component EGCG, can prevent and destroy a variety of
protein structures known as amyloids. Amyloids are the primary
culprits in fatal brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s,
Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s diseases. Their study, published
in the current issue of Nature Chemical Biology (December 2009),
may ultimately contribute to future therapies for these
diseases. "These findings are significant because it is the
first time a combination of specific chemicals has successfully
destroyed diverse forms of amyloids at the same time," says Dr.
Martin Duennwald of BBRI, who co-led the study with Dr. James
Shorter of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. For
decades a major goal of neurological research has been finding a
way to prevent the formation of and t