Green tea polyphenols are a potential new aid for the recovery and regeneration of neurons after spinal cord injury.

Several factors contribute to pathological changes secondary to spinal cord injury with oxidative stress having a very important role. The formation of reaction oxygen species is the basic response to disease and trauma that contributes significantly to the injury. As a result oxidative stress and inflammation cause the death of neurons and are the main processes leading to injury.

A 2014 study demonstrated that green tea polyphenols play a protective role in spinal cord neurons under oxidative stress helping to decrease oxidative damage to the spinal cord neurons and inhibit neuronal cell death. In the study green tea polyphenols caused a significant decrease in malondialdhyde content (an indicator of lipid peroxidation oxidative stress). With the occurrence of oxidative stress the intracellular level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased. This effect was able to be reversed with the addition of green tea polyphenols. 

Green tea polyphenols are powerful antioxidants that help reduce free radical damage. Polyphenols are the main active ingredient in green tea that protect against oxidative stress which is an important factor in secondary injury after damage to the spinal cord so much so that it is a key target in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.

Source: Research Neural Regeneration. "Spinal cord neurons protected against oxidative stress by green tea polyphenols."