Yinchen Tea Ameliorates Hyperlipidemia in Rats Through Hepatic and Intestinal Lipid Lowering

This study investigated the effects of Yinchen lipid-lowering tea (YCLLT) in a rat model of hyperlipidemia. A hyperlipidemic rat model was established using a high-fat diet. After 60 days of low-, middle-, and high-dose YCLLT intragastric administration, body weight, serum total cholesterol (TC), serum triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), liver TC, liver TG and small intestinal niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1), apolipoprotein B-48 (ApoB48), and cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (ACAT2) protein expression were measured. The pathological changes of the liver were observed under a light microscope. Compared with the model group, high-dose YCLLT significantly decreased serum TC, TG and LDL-C levels, and elevated high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Hepatic TC and TG levels were also significantly decreased. Histopathological analysis showed that YCLLT alleviated hepatocellular steatosis and degenerative injury in hyperlipidemic rats. Immunohistochemistry showed that YCLLT significantly downregulated the protein expression of NPC1L1, ApoB48 and ACAT2. Furthermore, serum ApoB48 levels were significantly reduced in all YCLLT-treated groups and positively correlated with serum TG, TC, and LDL-C. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that YCLLT exerts potent lipid-lowering and liver-protective effects in hyperlipidemic rats, supporting its potential use as a dietary intervention for the management of hyperlipidemia in the future.