Abstract: In order to explore the antiobesity mechanism and health benefits of Pu-erh tea, SD rats with normal body mass were used as the normal control group, and nutritionally induced obese SD rats were randomly divided into five groups of 8 rats each: obese model group, sibutramine positive control group, and low-, middle-, and high-dose Pu-erh tea groups. The rats were administered with Pu-erh tea by gavage for 42 successive days, and their body masses were measured once a week. Glucose (Glu), insulin, leptin, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), interleukin-1 alpha/beta (IL-1α/β) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were determined in the serum of rats in each group after 24 h fasting. Compared with the obese control, the body mass in the low-, middle-, and high-dose Pu-erh tea groups decreased by 24.8%, 26.59% and 27.62% (P < 0.05), respectively, serum Glu by 57.3%, 67.1% and 72.7% (P < 0.01), LDL-C by 7.11%, 9.11% and 25.74% (P < 0.05), insulin by 8.6%, 17.2% and 41.7%, leptin by 68.6%, 66.8%, 64.6% (P < 0.01), VEGF by 45.3%, 44.6%, 40.5% (P < 0.01), and TNF-α by 25.0%, 27.8%, 33.3% (P < 0.01); whereas HDL-C significantly increased by 20.4%, 22.2% and 25.0% (P < 0.05), and adiponectin by 5.9%, 7.6% and 9.7% (P < 0.05), respectively. Moreover, Pu-erh tea increased IL-1α and reduced IL-1β, thereby modulating the ratio of IL-1α to IL-1β. Therefore, Pu-erh tea obviously reduces body mass gain and modulates cytokine profiles in high-fat diet-induced obese rats.

Key words: Pu-erh tea, nutritional adiposity, cytokines, body mass