Chungtaejeon, a Korean fermented tea, prevents the risk of atherosclerosis in rats fed a high-fat atherogenic diet

OBJECTIVE： Hypercholesterolemia is one of the well-established risk factors for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in coronary heart disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-atherogenic effect of Chungtaejeon（CTJ, a Korean fermented tea） aqueous extract on proliferation and migration of human aortic smooth muscle cells（HASMCs） in vivo and in vitro.METHODS： The authors used high-fat atherogenic diet（HFAD） to induce hyperlipidemia in Wistar rats in in vivo animal experiments and used HASMCs for in vitro cell experiments. For the in vitro cell experiment, the proliferation of HASMCs was evaluated using the MTT assay. Similarly, the expression of matrix metalloproteinases（MMPs） in HASMCs was measured using gelatin zymography. Antimigratory activity of CTJ was revealed using the wound-healing model and Boyden＇s chamber assay. In the in vivo experiment, CTJ was administered in three different doses for 20 d from the initiation of the HFAD. After 20 d, the serum lipid profile and total lipid contents in liver were measured.RESULTS： Treatment with CTJ for 24 h dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation and migration of HASMCs and expression of MMP-2 in HASMCs. The oral administration of CTJ at concentrations of 200 and 400 mg/kg decreased the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total serum cholesterol and hepatic cholesterol of HFAD-fed rats.CONCLUSION： CTJ possessed strong antiproliferative, antimigratory, as well as lipid-lowering activities. Thus, CTJ can be considered as a therapeutic option in the treatment of high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis.

Korean Chungtaejeon tea extract attenuates weight gain in C57BL/6J-Lep ob/ob mice and regulates adipogenesis and lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

OBJECTIVE： Traditional Korean Chungtaejeon （CTJ） tea is a type of fermented tea, which has received increasing attention in recent years because of its purported health benefits. The present study was designed to investigate the effect and mechanism of CTJ tea extract on body weight gain using C57BL/6J-Lep ob/ob mice and 3T3-L1 adipocytes, respectively. METHODS： The effects of CTJ on cell viability, lipid accumulation, and expression of protein and mRNA were measured in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, oil red O staining, Western blotting, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses. C57BL6J-Lep ob/ob mice were administered with CTJ （200 or 400 mg/kg body weight） for ten weeks. Then, body weight, food intake, total cholesterol, and triglyceride were measured in ob/ob mice. RESULTS： CTJ tea extract treated at 250 wg/mL （CTJ250） significantly suppressed lipid accumulation in the differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Likewise, CTJ250 significantly decreased the protein expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor Y （PPARy）, CCJ^u~,T/enhancer-binding protein a, and adipocyte lipid- binding protein, and regulated the mRNA expression of PPART, sterol regulatory element-binding protein- lc gene, fatty acid synthase, adipocyte lipid-binding protein, hormone-sensitive lipase, carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1, cluster of differentiation 36, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase in the differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Mice administered with CTJ showed dose-dependent decrease in body weight gain, starting from week 4 of the experiment. CTJ tea extract administered at 400 mg/kg body weight significantly decreased fat mass, food efficacy ratio, and levels of plasma triglyceride and total cholesterol. CONCLUSION： CTJ attenuated weight gain in ob/ob mice and regulated the activity of the molecules involved in adipogenesis and lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. CTJ is a potentially valuable herbal therapy for the prevention of obesity and/or obesity-related disorders.