Kombucha Tea Prevents Obese Mice from Developing Hepatic Steatosis and Liver Damage



Authors:
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Abstract:
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with increased accumulation of hepatocellular lipids. Although Kombucha tea (KT) has emerged as a substance protecting the liver from damage, the effects of KT in NAFLD remain unclear. Hence, we investigated whether KT influenced hepatic steatosis. Db/db mice were fed either control or methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diets for 4 weeks. The MCD diet group was treated with KT or water for 3 weeks. KT treatment alleviated macrovesicular steatosis compared to the MCD-fed group. The levels of triglyceride, ALT, and AST also decreased in the KT+MCD-treated db/db mice. RNA expression in the MCD+KT group showed reduced triglyceride synthesis and uptake of fatty acids. Immunostaining and western blot assays for active caspase-3 demonstrated a lower level of apoptosis in the MCD+KT than in the MCD group. These results demonstrate that KT attenuated lipid accumulation and protected the liver from damage, promoting liver restoration in mice.

Keywords: kombucha tea, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, liver protection, db/db mouse



Country: Korea

Citation: Food science and biotechnology v.25 no.3 pp. 861-866

Study Mailing Address:
Department of Biological Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan 46241, Korea

Date Updated: January 20, 2021

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