Green tea leaf extract improves lipid and glucose homeostasis in a fructose-fed insulin-resistant hamster model

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.