Du Zhaofeng, Wu Guohuo, Cheng Huijun, Han Tingting, Li Daxiang, Xie Zhongwen
State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, School of Tea and Food Sciences and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
Joint Research Center for Food Nutrition and Health of IHM, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
Foods. 2024 Sep 19;13(18):2977. doi: 10.3390/foods13182977.
Obesity is a major public health concern globally. Plant-based ingredients have been proposed as alternative treatments for obesity. L-Theanine (THE), a unique nutraceutical component of tea, is known for its neuroprotective and cognitive benefits. However, there are few reports on THE's effects and mechanisms in improving obesity and its complications. In this study, the alleviating effects and potential mechanisms of THE on obesity-related complications (ORCs) induced by a high-fat diet(HFD) in mice were explored by performing biochemical, hepatic transcriptomics, and plasma metabolomics analyses. The results indicated THE (900 mg/kg of body weight) was effective in mitigating ORCs by decreasing body weight gain and fat deposition, improving glycolipid metabolism disorders, inflammation dysregulation, and alleviating fatty liver formation due to long-term HFD. The hepatic transcriptomics data suggested that THE intervention suppresses the lipid metabolism and inflammation pathways in HFD-fed mice, thereby inhibiting hepatic steatosis and inflammation. Moreover, plasma metabolomics analysis revealed that THE exhibited positive effects on the homeostasis of plasma metabolite balance, such as phosphatidylcholine (PC(14:0/18:1)), phosphatidylethanolamine (Lyso-PE(14:0)), phosphatidic acid (PA(16:0e/18:0)), stigmasterol, and deoxycholic acid glycine conjugate. These metabolites were strongly correlated with ORC-related indicators. Our results indicated that THE, as a functional food additive, possesses potential for ORC alleviation. However, the exact molecular mechanism of how THE alleviates ORCs needs to be investigated in the future.
肥胖是全球主要的公共卫生问题。植物性成分已被提议作为肥胖的替代治疗方法。L-茶氨酸（THE）是茶叶中一种独特的营养成分，以其神经保护和认知益处而闻名。然而，关于THE在改善肥胖及其并发症方面的作用和机制的报道很少。在本研究中，通过进行生化、肝脏转录组学和血浆代谢组学分析，探讨了THE对高脂饮食（HFD）诱导的小鼠肥胖相关并发症（ORC）的缓解作用和潜在机制。结果表明，THE（900毫克/千克体重）通过减少体重增加和脂肪沉积、改善糖脂代谢紊乱、炎症失调以及减轻长期HFD导致的脂肪肝形成，有效减轻了ORC。肝脏转录组学数据表明，THE干预抑制了HFD喂养小鼠的脂质代谢和炎症途径，从而抑制了肝脏脂肪变性和炎症。此外，血浆代谢组学分析显示，THE对血浆代谢物平衡的稳态具有积极影响，如磷脂酰胆碱（PC(14:0/18:1)）、磷脂酰乙醇胺（Lyso-PE(14:0)）、磷脂酸（PA(16:0e/18:0)）、豆甾醇和脱氧胆酸甘氨酸结合物。这些代谢物与ORC相关指标密切相关。我们的结果表明，THE作为一种功能性食品添加剂，具有减轻ORC的潜力。然而，THE减轻ORC的确切分子机制有待未来进一步研究。
