Green tea containing inulin and catechins ameliorates high-fat diet-induced metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in mice

The global rise in obesity has contributed to the increasing prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD, formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD), which is strongly linked to insulin resistance and progression to advanced liver diseases. Dietary factors are thought to influence its development and progression. We aimed to investigate the effect of green tea containing inulin and catechin (IC-GT) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced MAFLD. Male C57BL/6 mice were assigned to five groups (10 mice/group): control (0 mg IC-GT/kg BW/d), HFD (0 mg IC-GT/kg BW/d), IC-GT-0.5X (1,328 mg IC-GT/kg BW/d), IC-GT-1X (2,645 mg IC-GT/kg BW/d), and IC-GT-2X (5,289 mg IC-GT/kg BW/d). All mice in each group were gavage-fed, received water or test samples for one week, and were then fed an HFD for 18 weeks. Blood and liver tissues were analyzed for lipid profile, enzyme activities, and histopathology. We found that IC-GT supplementation for 18 consecutive weeks significantly reduced aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase activity as well as total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in the blood after HFD intake, and decreased the accumulation of TC and TG in the liver. In addition, histopathological analyses showed a significant reduction in hepatic lipid droplet accumulation. Therefore, our findings suggest that long-term supplementation of IC-GT can significantly ameliorate HFD-induced MAFLD.