Anti‐obesity and hypolipidemic effects of Fuzhuan brick tea water extract in high‐fat diet‐induced obese rats

Abstract Background Fuzhuan brick tea is a kind of microbial fermented tea, which has received increasing attention in recent years owing to its benefits for human health. In this study, the anti‐obesity and hypolipidemic effects of Fuzhuan brick tea water extracts ( FTEs ) were investigated. Results FTEs consisted of 204.07 ± 3.38 mg g −1 polyphenol, 109.20 ± 1.36 mg g −1 flavonoids, and others. The FTEs significantly suppressed the increase of body weight and accumulation of adipose tissue, and reduced the level of serum triacylglycerol, total cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein ( LDL ) cholesterol in obese rats fed a high‐fat diet. Moreover, FTEs attenuated the gene expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein‐1c, fatty acid synthase and CCAAT /enhancer binding protein α, which is related to lipogenic metabolism. In contrast, the gene expressions of enzymes involved in energy expenditure and lipodieresis including hepatic peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor α, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a and LDL receptor gene expression were increased by FTE treatment. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that FTEs have anti‐obesity and hypolipidemic functions, suggesting that it might be effective for treatment of obesity and hyperlipemia.