(-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) is a strong polyphenol catechin antioxidant found in green tea, reported to have broad efficacy against many conditions generated from oxidative damage. Extensive oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDLs) is correlated to cardiovascular diseases, and EGCG is reported to strongly inhibit Cu(2+)-mediated oxidative modification of LDLs. The antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L) are observed to suppress apoptosis and convey survival to heavily damaged and mutated cells in vitro, and EGCG (along with the other catechins) is shown to directly inhibit these proteins, reestablishing the normal apoptotic pathway in the cell. EGCG also inhibits NOS2 (iNOS).