Jasmine green tea epicatechins are hypolipidemic in hamsters (Mesocricetusauratus) fed a high fat diet

These studies were designed to test the hypolipidemic activity of green tea epicatechins (GTE) isolated from jasmine green tea. In Experiment 1, three groups of hamsters were given a semisynthetic diet containing 200 g lard/k g and 1 g cholesterol/kg for 4 wk. The control group received distilled wat er, and the other two groups received either 15 g/L green tea water extract (GTWE) or 5.0 g/L GTE solution, Both the GTWE and GTE groups had lower con centrations of serum total cholesterol (TC) and triacylglycerols (TG) than the controls (P < 0.05). In Experiment 2, four groups of hamsters received tap water as the drinking fluid, but they were given the same high fat and cholesterol diet supplemented with 0 (control), 1.1, 3.4 or 5.7 g GTE/kg di et. The hypolipidemic effect of jasmine GTE was dose dependent. In Experime nt 3, the time-course of changes in serum TC and TG was monitored in hamste rs given the high fat diet supplemented with 5.7 g GTE/kg in comparison wit h that of controls. The hypolipidemic effects of dietary GTE were evident a fter feeding for 2 wk. Dietary supplementation of GTE did not affect liver fatty acid synthase, However, GTE-supplemented hamsters had higher fecal ex cretions of total fatty acids, neutral sterols and acidic sterols compared with the control group. In Experiment 4, hamsters were fed nonpurified diet ; the control group drank distilled water, and the GTE group drank distille d water containing 5.0 g GTE/L. No differences in activities of 3-hydroxy-3 -methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase and intestinal acyl CoA:cholesterol a cyltransferase were observed. This study suggests that the hypolipidemic ac tivity of GTE is not due to inhibition of synthesis of cholesterol or fatty acid but is most likely mediated by its influence on absorption of dietary fat and cholesterol.