Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (ECGC), a substance found in green tea, has the ability to redirect the process that leads to the build of protein in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, according to a new report.

Research conducted at the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, a national research laboratory of the Helmholtz Association in Germany, discovered that ECGC modulates proteins in such a way that it interrupts the formation of toxic plaques, associated with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, indicate that "ECGC binds directly to unfolded proteins at a very early stage and thus prevents their conversion into toxic aggregates. Instead non-toxic, unstructured round aggregates of a new type are formed, presumably by an alternative folding cascade".

Whereas the "misfolding of proteins" leads to the accumulation of deadly insoluble aggregates, according to the research "these new aggregates are harmless".

In response, the researchers Dr Dagmar Ehrnhoefer and Dr Jan Bieschke are of the opinion that ECGC or similar substances could be used in the development of drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

Figures show that neurodenerative disorders currently affect millions of people wordwide, and the majority of cases tend to manifest in later life.

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