1 JOMC | Volume 2 | Issue 2 | January, 2016 Research & Reviews: Journal of Medicinal & Organic Chemistry Tea Polyphenolics and their Effect on Neurodegenerative Disorders- A Review Ananya Bagchi*, Dillip Kumar Swain, Nairanjana Bera, Analava Mitra Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India Review Article INTRODUCTION There is rising attention in the world regarding natural product researches as plants are always known to be the traditional source of medicine due to the presence of natural products with high chemical diversity. In natural system plants face a plethora of antagonism and thus evolved myriad of defence mechanisms by which they are able to cope up with various kinds of biotic and abiotic stresses. These large arrays of natural products, in concern here, are referred to as secondary metabolites as they are not directly involved in growth, development and metabolism even though they are derived from primary metabolism. Apart from combating stress, they also function as attractants due to the presence of compounds responsible for conferring bright and attractive colour of fruits and lowers. In addition to their physiological roles in plants, they are also extensively exploited as pharmaceuticals, food additives and cosmetic products. There are three major groups of secondary metabolites namely terpenes, phenolics and N and S containing compound. Terpenes which are being composed of 5-C isopentanoid units are toxins and feeding deterrents to many herbivores. Phenolics synthesized primarily shikimic acid pathway which have several important defensive role in the plants. Members of the third major group which are basically nitrogen (N) and Sulphar(S) containing compounds are synthesized principally from common amino acids [1] . Tea is one of the most popular beverages taken throughout the world is a very good source of important secondary metabolites like monoterpenoids, carotenoids and catechins etc. Monoterpenoids and carotenoids are most important constituents of tea aroma and lavor. The formation of tea aroma is because of the synthesis of volatile monoterpenoids and carotenoids, while catechins are responsible for the beneicial health effects of tea. Being the second most popular beverage in the world, tea drinking originated in China around 4000–5000 years ago. Today, 3 billion cups of tea are consumed everyday by millions of people all over the world. Now days, it is being cultivated in at least 30 countries around the world. All varieties and cultivars of the tea plant is the member to a single species, Camellia sinensis [2] , a member of Theaceae family, cultivated across the world inspecially in the tropical and subtropical regions. Tea beverage is an infusion of the dried leaves of the plant. Tea is an evergreen shrub or that can grow to a height of almost 30 feet, but is usually Received date: 15/10/ 2015 Accepted date: 16/12/ 2015 Published date: 23/12/2015 *For Correspondence Ananya Bagchi, Research Scholar, Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Insti- tute of Technology Kharagpur, India-721302, Tel: 919836277421 E-mail: ananya@agfe.iitkgp.ernet.in Keywords: Nutraceutical; Neuroprotective Anti- oxidant; Reactive Oxygen Species; Parkinson’s disease; Alzheimer’s disease ABSTRACT Tea consumption is varying its status from ancient beverage and a lifestyle habit, to a nutraceutical with possible prospective neuroprotective actions beneicial to human health. Quality tea production is beneicial for its effects on human health, which includes controlling of several diseases with its high antioxidant properties. Several evidences suggest that oxidative stress generates reactive oxygen species and causes inlammation to play a role in neurodegenerative diseases, indicative of the importance of radical scavengers and in accordance with the current view that tea polyphenols may have an impact on neurobiological problems in individuals of advanced age. Thus green tea polyphenols may be considered as therapeutic agents in dementia related diseases, and can be serve as neuroprotective agents in neurodegenerative disorders of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. So far no single cure has been found however, one supplement that seems to have health beneits in a vast range of areas is tea and tea extract. In this review neuroprotective mechanism of the green tea polyphenols are examined and discussed.