Anti-obesity and hypolipidemic effects ofFuzhuan brick tea water extract in high-fat diet-induced obese rats

Background Fuzhuan brick tea is a kind of microbial fermented tea, which has received increasing attention in recent years owing to its benefits for human health. In this study, the anti-obesity and hypolipidemic effects of Fuzhuan brick tea water extracts (FTEs) were investigated. Results FTEs consisted of 204.07 +/- 3.38 mg g1 polyphenol, 109.20 +/- 1.36 mg g1 flavonoids, and others. The FTEs significantly suppressed the increase of body weight and accumulation of adipose tissue, and reduced the level of serum triacylglycerol, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in obese rats fed a high-fat diet. Moreover, FTEs attenuated the gene expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c, fatty acid synthase and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein , which is related to lipogenic metabolism. In contrast, the gene expressions of enzymes involved in energy expenditure and lipodieresis including hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor , carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a and LDL receptor gene expression were increased by FTE treatment. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that FTEs have anti-obesity and hypolipidemic functions, suggesting that it might be effective for treatment of obesity and hyperlipemia. (C) 2012 Society of Chemical Industry