The Major Green Tea Polyphenol, (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate, Inhibits Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Fatty Liver Disease in High-Fat-Fed Mice

Authors

Mousumi Bose, Montclair State UniversityFollow
Joshua D. Lambert, Pennsylvania State UniversityFollow
Jihyeung Ju, Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, New BrunswickFollow
Kenneth R. Reuhl, Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, Newark
Sue A. Shapses, Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
Chung S. Yang, Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, New BrunswickFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2008

Journal / Book Title

The Journal of Nutrition

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effects of the major green tea polyphenol, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), on high-fat-induced obesity, symptoms of the metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver in mice. In mice fed a high-fat diet (60% energy as fat), supplementation with dietary EGCG treatment (3.2 g/kg diet) for 16 wk reduced body weight (BW) gain, percent body fat, and visceral fat weight (P < 0.05) compared with mice without EGCG treatment. The BW decrease was associated with increased fecal lipids in the high-fat-fed groups (r2 = 0.521; P < 0.05). EGCG treatment attenuated insulin resistance, plasma cholesterol, and monocyte chemoattractant protein concentrations in high-fat-fed mice (P < 0.05). EGCG treatment also decreased liver weight, liver triglycerides, and plasma alanine aminotransferase concentrations in high-fat-fed mice (P < 0.05). Histological analyses of liver samples revealed decreased lipid accumulation in hepatocytes in mice treated with EGCG compared with high-fat diet-fed mice without EGCG treatment. In another experiment, 3-mo-old high-fat-induced obese mice receiving short-term EGCG treatment (3.2 g/kg diet, 4 wk) had decreased mesenteric fat weight and blood glucose compared with high-fat-fed control mice (P < 0.05). Our results indicate that long-term EGCG treatment attenuated the development of obesity, symptoms associated with the metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver. Short-term EGCG treatment appeared to reverse preexisting high-fat-induced metabolic pathologies in obese mice. These effects may be mediated by decreased lipid absorption, decreased inflammation, and other mechanisms.

Comments

This artilcle is open access under an Elsevier User license.

DOI

10.1093/jn/138.9.1677

MSU Digital Commons Citation

Bose, Mousumi; Lambert, Joshua D.; Ju, Jihyeung; Reuhl, Kenneth R.; Shapses, Sue A.; and Yang, Chung S., "The Major Green Tea Polyphenol, (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate, Inhibits Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Fatty Liver Disease in High-Fat-Fed Mice" (2008). Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works. 100.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/nutr-foodstudies-facpubs/100