Etiolated-green tea attenuates colonic barrier dysfunction and inflammation in high-fat diet-induced mice by modulating gut microbiota.

Colonic barrier dysfunction and inflammation arising from dysbiosis gut microbiota (GM) are strongly associated with a high-fat diet (HFD). Yellow leaf green tea (YLGT), a novel variety of etiolated-green tea, improving the intestinal barrier and inflammation is related to the regulation of GM disorders. To explore the ameliorative mechanism of YLGT, mice were fed an HFD with or without YLGT at doses of 150, 300, and 450 mg kg for 12 weeks. YLGT rectified the GM imbalance, enriched short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria and gut SCFA contents, activated G protein-coupled receptors, inhibited TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, strengthened the tight junction, and repaired the damaged intestinal barrier. The fecal microbiota transplantation experiment further confirmed that the GM was a key element in the anti-obesity and anti-intestinal inflammation effect of YLGT. YLGT has great promise in attenuating obesity-induced intestinal dysfunction. This research provides novel insights into the new mechanism of YLGT on HFD-induced obesity.