摘要：Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze, Theaceae) flowers possess many physiological functions and have been used in traditional medicines for deodorization, skin care, cough suppressant and expectorant in China. However, there is little information about its effect on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this study, an oleic acid-induced HepG2 cell model of steatosis was established, and the anti-NAFLD effects of tea flowers and the related mechanisms were investigated. Three tea flower extracts, 40% TFE, 80% TFE and TFRE couldn’t prevent triglyceride (TG) accumulation in oleic acid-treated HepG2 cells (p > 0.05), but significantly decreased the TG level in lipid-overloaded HepG2 cells after 48 h treatment (p < 0.05). RT-PCR analysis revealed that three tea flower extracts did not affect the mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors α (PPARα) and Acyl-CoA oxidase-1 (ACOX-1) (p > 0.05), but up-regulated the mRNA level of carnitine palmitoyl-CoA transferase (CPT) (p < 0.05). Moreover, tea flower extracts could significantly reduce intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level (p < 0.05). These results indicated tea flowers may be a potential natural resourse for the treatment of NAFLD.
