Abstract
Lately, matcha green tea has gained popularity as a beverage and food additive. It has proved to be effective in preventing obesity and related metabolic syndromes. However, the underlying mechanisms of its control effects against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are complicated and remain elusive. In the present study, we performed an in vivo experiment using male C57BL/6 mice fed with a high-fat diet and simultaneously treated with matcha for six weeks. Serum biochemical parameters, histological changes, lipid accumulation, inflammatory cytokines, and relevant indicators were examined. Dietary supplementation of matcha effectively prevented excessive accumulation of visceral and hepatic lipid, elevated blood glucose, dyslipidemia, abnormal liver function, and steatosis hepatitis. RNA sequencing analyses of differentially expressed genes in liver samples indicated that matcha treatment decreased the activity of lipid droplet-associated proteins and increased the activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes, suggesting improved metabolic capacity and liver function. The current study provided evidence for new dietary strategies based on matcha supplementation to ameliorate lipotoxicity-induced obesity and NALFD.
Highlights
In differentially expressed genes which were identified by comparison of the control group with the HFD group, we found that a high-fat diet causes a series of metabolic disorders, the main signaling pathways were related to lipid metabolism, endocrine regulation and amino acid metabolism (Figure 4D)
The levels of major inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) associated with hepatic inflammation were significantly lower. These results revealed that matcha green tea could remit the pathological process in obesity-induced hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis
Integrated analysis of the biochemical parameters, histopathology, liver transcriptome, and gene expression revealed that matcha green tea was a natural dietary/nutraceutical source to prevent lipotoxicity-induced obesity and liver injury
Summary
Chronic, and progressive condition that has reached epidemic proportions globally. Many studies have confirmed the strong association between obesity and comorbidities such as hypertension, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) [1]. The liver plays a key role in various aspects of lipid metabolism. Excessive intake of a high-fat diet (HFD) induces the overload of free fatty acids in the liver, leading to the steatosis and apoptosis of liver cells [2]. There will be hepatic inflammation and fibrosis, and may further progress to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer [3]. Since the related metabolic syndrome is a complex disease caused by a dynamic interaction between genetics and environmental factors, no effective medical interventions can treat across the full range [4]
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