Green tea leaf extract improves lipid and glucose homeostasis in a fructose-fed insulin-resistant hamster model
Author: Rachel W. Li and Teresa D. Douglas and Geoffrey K. Maiyoh and Khosrow Adeli and Andre G. Theriault
The present study evaluated the effect of green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) leaf extract on triglyceride and glucose homeostasis in a fructose-fed hypertriglyceridemic, insulin-resistant hamster model. There was a significant decrease in plasma triglyceride levels following supplementation of the green tea epigallocatechin gallate-enriched extract (42% at 150 mg/(kg day) to 62% at 300 mg/(kg day) for 4 weeks). Compared to baseline, the fructose control group at the end of the study showed elevated serum insulin and apolipoprotein B levels, and decreased serum adiponectin levels. The fructose/green tea extract group showed a reversal in all of these metabolic defects, including an improvement in glucose levels during a glucose tolerance test. Triglyceride content was also examined in various tissues and compared to the control fructose group; supplementation of the green tea extract (300 mg/kg) reduced triglyceride content in liver and heart tissues. There was molecular evidence of improved lipid and glucose homeostasis based on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) protein expression. Compared to the control fructose group, supplementation of the green tea extract (300 mg/kg) significantly increased PPARα and PPARγ protein expression. In summary, the data suggest that intake of the green tea extract ameliorated the fructose-induced hypertriglyceridemia and the insulin-resistant state in part through PPAR.
