The interaction of pineal hormone melatonin, the histological dye thioflavin T, and the olive tree polyphenol oleuropein, with the 28 amino acid residue N-terminal fragment of the beta-amyloid peptide (beta-AP) of Alzheimer's disease, [beta-AP(1-28)], was detected in solution through the observation of transferred NOEs (trNOEs) in 1D and 2D NOE spectroscopy (NOESY) experiments. The trNOE method is applied for the first time in the detection of interactions of soluble beta-AP(1-28) with small molecules and may provide a means of screening for the identification of possible inhibitors of the formation of neurotoxic beta-AP assemblies.