Effects of Tibetan tea consumption on white adipose tissue microenvironment and metabolic network in high-fat diet-fed mice
Metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, are major public health concerns worldwide. Dietary interventions, such as tea consumption, have been suggested as an effective strategy to prevent and treat metabolic disorders. White adipose tissue, as the main energy storage organ in mammals, plays a critical role in the regulation of whole-body metabolism. Recent studies have shown that the microenvironmental cell composition and metabolic network of white adipose tissue can be modulated by dietary factors, including tea consumption. However, the underlying mechanisms and the effects of tea consumption on white adipose tissue in the context of high-fat diet-induced metabolic disorders are not fully understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of tea consumption on the microenvironmental cell composition and metabolic network of white adipose tissue in high-fat diet-fed mice. Overall design: In this study, mice were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups (n=5 per group): chow diet with water, chow diet with Tibetan tea, high-fat diet with water, and high-fat diet with Tibetan tea. The mice were housed under standardized conditions with a 12-hour light/dark cycle and provided ad libitum access to food and water for 10 weeks. Tibetan tea used in this study was prepared as water extract. At the end of the study, mice were euthanized, and white adipose tissue samples were collected for transcriptome sequencing.