Fu brick tea extracts attenuate HFD induced lipid deposition by regulating the glycerolipid metabolism of gut microbiota and adipose tissue

Abstract

Fu brick tea (FT), known for regulating lipid metabolism, was studied to explore its lipid-lowering mechanism by analyzing its effects on gut microbes and adipose tissue. Mice were given chow, high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD + FT aqueous extract (FTE, 400 mg per kg BW). FTE reduced HFD-induced fat deposition, altered gut microbiota (enriched the “glycerolipid metabolism” pathway, reversed HFD-suppressed Firmicutes_bacterium_ASF500), and affected epididymal fat transcriptome (genes enriched in PPAR, glycerolipid/fatty acid metabolism). Four lipid-related genes (Lipf, Lep, Kdsr, Esrra) showed reversed expression patterns, while FTE treatment demonstrated no significant in vitro effects on adipocyte differentiation. FTE may exert lipid-lowering effects via regulating gut microbe/adipose glycerolipid metabolism, with downstream metabolites playing a key role. In summary, FTE may alleviate lipid deposition by elevating Firmicutes_bacterium_ASF500 to regulate dietary derived metabolites, which may enhance Esrra-mediated fatty acid oxidation-related gene expression, thereby improving triglyceride metabolism. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the specific roles and interactions of FTE's potential microbial and gene targets.