Eurotium Cristatum fermented instant dark tea prevents obesity and promotes adipose thermogenesis via modulating the gut microbiota

Abstract

In this study, we produced instant dark tea (IDT) by liquid-state fermentation of Ziyang selenium-enriched summer-autumn tea leaves utilizing Eurotium cristatum. Then, the novel mechanism of IDT against obesity was investigated. Our results for the first time revealed that IDT could alleviate obesity by regulating the gut microbiota and promoting adipose thermogenesis. Notably, IDT significantly promoted the proliferation of probiotics such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia, and subsequently elevated the production of microbial metabolites, including succinate and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Furthermore, IDT promoted thermogenic capacity of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and browning of inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) in obese mice, which was manifested by the increased expression of thermogenesis markers UCP1, PGC1α and CIDEA in BAT and iWAT. Interestingly, antibiotic treatment significantly eliminated the adipose thermogenesis effect of IDT. Taken together, our study produced IDT by Eurotium cristatum fermentation, and demonstrated its great potential in preventing obesity and metabolic complications via gut microbiota-derived adipose thermogenesis.