Aged oolong tea alleviates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice by modulating the gut microbiota and its metabolites

Jun Wu; Xuming Deng; Yue Sun; Jing Li; Haomin Dai; Siyu Qi; Yan Huang; Weijiang Sun

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2023.101102

Aged oolong tea alleviates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice by modulating the gut microbiota and its metabolites

Food Chem X. 2023 Dec 29:21:101102. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2023.101102. eCollection 2024 Mar 30.

Authors

Jun Wu¹, Xuming Deng¹, Yue Sun¹, Jing Li¹, Haomin Dai¹, Siyu Qi¹, Yan Huang², Weijiang Sun¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
² Anxi College of Tea Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.

Abstract

In this study, the mechanism of aged oolong tea (AOT) to alleviate colitis was investigated in terms of microbiome, metabolome, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). AOT storage period could alleviate colitis in mice and there were some differences in AOT between storage periods, especially AOT-10. AOT improves UC by modulating oxidative stress and inflammatory factors and upregulating intestinal tight junction protein expression (Occludin, Claudin-1, ZO-1 and MUC2), which is associated with the recovery of gut microbiota. FMT and targeted metabolomics further demonstrate that the anti-inflammatory effects of AOT can reshape the gut microbiota through faecal bacterial transfer. Anti-inflammatory effects are exerted through the stimulation of metabolic pathways associated with amino acid, fatty acid and bile acid metabolites. Importantly, the study identified key bacteria (e.g., Sutterella, Clostridiaceae_Clostridium, Mucispirillum, Oscillospira and Ruminococcus) for the development and remission of inflammation. Conclusively, AOT may have great potential in the future adjuvant treatment of colitis.

Keywords: Aged oolong tea; Colitis; Fecal microbiota transplantation; Gut microbiota; Microbial metabolites.