An Ilex latifolia‐containing compound tea regulates glucose–lipid metabolism and modulates gut microbiota in high‐fat diet‐fed mice

Abstract

Abstract Kuding Tea (Ilex latifolia) is a bitter‐tasting herbal tea that was used for the treatment of symptoms related with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. However, Kuding Tea is also difficultly accepted by people in daily life because of its poor palatability. In this study, Kuding Tea, green tea (GT) (Camellia sinensis L.), and Luohan (Siraitia grosvenorii) fruits were formulated into a compound Kuding Tea (CKT) to improve the taste and health benefits of this beverage. High‐fat diet‐fed male C57BL/6J mice were used as animal models to explore the effects of CKT (6 or 12 mg/mL, water ad libitum) on body weight, food intake, liver function, blood glucose and lipids, and gene expression. L02 and 3T3‐L1 cells were used to further demonstrate the effects of CKT on fat accumulation and hepatic lipid deposition. Our results suggest that CKT can regulate glucose and lipid metabolism by decreasing body weight, reducing white adipose deposition, improving glucose tolerance, increasing the expression of brown adipose genes, and reducing fat accumulation in the liver, and CKT inhibited fat accumulation better than GT. In addition, a low dose (6 mg/mL) of CKT reduced the abundance of Desulfovibrio bacteria, positively associated with obesity, and increased that of norank_f__Muribaculaceae, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, and Alloprevotella, which are beneficial to glucose and lipid metabolism. This study suggests that CKT not only has a better palatability but also has potential preventive effects on high‐fat diet‐induced glucose–lipid metabolic diseases.

Keywords

• functional tea
• Ilex latifolia
• Kuding Tea
• nonalcoholic fatty liver
• obesity