Effect of Anhua Dark Tea on Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E Knockout Mice

Abstract:

The study aimed to observe the effect of Anhua dark tea on serum lipids，OX-LDL and related inflammatory factors in APOE-/- mice to speculate its anti-AS mechanism. Fifty-five eight-week-old male APOE-/- mice were fed with western diet for 13 weeks continuously. Ten eight-week-old male C57 mice as normal group were fed with nomal diet for 13 weeks continuously. After 13 weeks，five mice were randomly selected for HE staining to determine the model. Then the mouse were randomly divided into model group，atorvastatin group and high，medium and low doses of Anhua dark tea groups. They were given saline，atorvastatin and Anhua dark tea with doses of 10, 2.16, 1.44 and 0.72 g/（kg·d） by gavage, respectively. The blank group were given equal doses of saline by gavage and the APOE-/- mice continued to be fed with western diet for 8 weeks. At the end of experiment，the eyeball was taken for blood and the serum was separate for blood lipids and related inflammatory factors.The body，liver，spleen，and abdominal fat of the mice were weighed，and the liver index was calculated. The aorta of the mice were taken for HE staining. Compared with the model group，the aortic root plaques， the weights of body，liver，spleen，abdominal fat and liver index，the levels of TG，IL-1β，MCP-1，OX-LDL，TNF-α，hs-CRP of Anhua dark tea groups were decreased significantly（P<0.05）. In conclusion，the anti-AS mechanism of Anhua dark tea may be related to its lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative capacities.