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Promotion of Neuronal Plasticity by (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate

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Abstract

The consumption of (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenolic compound found in green tea, has been associated with various neurological benefits including cognitive improvement. The physiological basis for this effect is unknown. In this study, we used synaptic transmission between the CA3 and CA1 regions (Schaffer collateral) of the mouse hippocampus to examine the effects of EGCG on neuronal plasticity. We found that the level of high frequency stimulation-evoked long-term potentiation (LTP) was significantly enhanced when hippocampal slices were pre-incubated with 10 μM EGCG for 1 h prior to the experiment. EGCG incubation also enabled hippocampal slices prepared from Ts65Dn mice, a Down syndrome mouse model deficient in LTP, to express LTP to a level comparable to the normal controls. EGCG treatment did not alter the degree of pair-pulse inhibition; therefore, the enhancement effect of EGCG is unlikely to involve the attenuation of this inhibitory mechanism.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Drs. David Miller, Tatyana Adayev, Sarah Nolin, Carl Dobkin, Robert Denman, and Ms. Maureen Marlow for critical reading of this manuscript. This work was supported in part by the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and by NIH grants HD38295 to Y.W.H. and HD43960 to Dr. Jerzy Wegiel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSI/IBR Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, 10314, USA

    Wen Xie, Andrzej Wieraszko & Yu-Wen Hwang

  2. Doctoral Program in Biology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Wen Xie, Andrzej Wieraszko & Yu-Wen Hwang

  3. Department of Biology, College of Staten Island, Staten Island, NY, 10314, USA

    Andrzej Wieraszko

  4. Molecular Biology Department, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY, 10314, USA

    Narayan Ramakrishna & Yu-Wen Hwang

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  1. Wen Xie
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  2. Narayan Ramakrishna
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  3. Andrzej Wieraszko
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  4. Yu-Wen Hwang
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Correspondence to Yu-Wen Hwang.

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Xie, W., Ramakrishna, N., Wieraszko, A. et al. Promotion of Neuronal Plasticity by (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate. Neurochem Res 33, 776–783 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-007-9494-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-007-9494-7

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