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The hypocholesterolemic effect of green tea catechin, (−)‐epigallocatechin gallate via upregulation of hepatic cholesterol 7 alpha‐hydroxylsae (CYP7A1) in cholesterol‐fed rat
Author(s) -
Lee MakSoon,
Kim Yangha
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.700.5
Subject(s) - cholesterol 7 alpha hydroxylase , catechin , cholesterol , chemistry , bile acid , reverse cholesterol transport , green tea extract , enzyme , cholic acid , green tea , endocrinology , biochemistry , medicine , food science , polyphenol , antioxidant , biology , lipoprotein
There is an increasing interest in green tea ( Camellia sinensis ) as a protective agent against cardiovascular diseases with decreased blood total cholesterol and LDL‐cholesterol. In this study, the potential mechanism of the hypocholesterolemic effect of green tea was investigated by measuring cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase (CYP7A1), a rate‐limiting enzyme in bile acid biosynthesis from cholesterol, at both enzyme activity and mRNA level. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were fed with green tea‐free, catechin or EGCG diet for 7 weeks. Hypercholesterolemia was induced by adding 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid to all diets. Catechin or EGCG diet decreased plasma total cholesterol by 23% or 34%, and LDL cholesterol by 32% or 52%, respectively. The catechin or EGCG diet up‐regulated CYP7A1 enzyme activity by 4.8‐ or 4.9‐fold and CYP7A1 mRNA level by 2.5‐ or 2.8‐fold, respectively. These findings suggest that the increases in the CYP7A1 gene expression may be a mechanism, which can partially account for the hypocholesterolemic effect of green tea. “This work was supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) grant funded by the Korea government (MOST) (No. M10510130005‐07N1013‐00510).”