The modulatory effect of oolong tea polyphenols on intestinal flora and hypothalamus gene expression in a circadian rhythm disturbance mouse model

The interaction between host circadian rhythm and gut microbes through the gut-brain axis provides new clues for tea polyphenols to improve host health.Our present research showed that oolong tea polyphenols(OTP)improved the structural disorder of the intestinal flora caused by continuous darkness,thereby modulating the production of metabolites related to pyruvate metabolism,glycolysis/gluconeogenesis,and tryptophan metabolism to alleviate the steady-state imbalance.After fecal microbiota transplantation from the OTP group,the single-cell transcriptomic analysis revealed that OTP significantly increased the number of hypothalamus cell clusters,up-regulated the number of astrocytes and fibroblasts,and enhanced the expression of circadian rhythm genes Cry2,Per3,Bhlhe41,Nr1d1,Nr1d2,Dbp and Rorb in hypothalamic cells.Our results confirmed that OTP can actively improve the intestinal environmental state as well as internal/peripheral circadian rhythm disorders and cognitive impairment,with potential prebiotic functional characteristics to notably contribute to host health.

Modulatory effects in circadian-related diseases via the reciprocity of tea polyphenols and intestinal microbiota

Tea is a widespread functional plant resource.Phytochemicals such as tea polyphenols(TP)can interact with the intestinal flora and participate in regulating the expression and rhythm of biological clock genes.Circadian rhythm controls a variety of behaviors and physiological processes,and circadian misalignment has been found to be closely related to multiple metabolic diseases.Interestingly,the gut microbiota also has diurnal fluctuations,which can be affected by diet composition and feeding rhythm,and play a role in maintaining the host’s circadian rhythm.The two-way relationship between the host’s circadian rhythm and intestinal microbiota confirms the possibility that prebiotics or probiotic can be used to adjust the intestinal environment and microbiome composition to improve the host health.This article reviews the relationship between the host’s circadian rhythm and microbiota and its influence on metabolic diseases.The beneficial effects of the interaction between TP and gut microbiota on diseases related to rhythm disorders are emphasized to improve the theories of disease prevention and treatment.