Camellia Sinensis and Litsea Coreana Ameliorate Intestinal Inflammation and Modulate Gut Microbiota in Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis Mice.

Polyphenol-enriched herbal extracts have been proved as alternative therapeutic strategies for experimentally-induced colitis. We comparatively explored the in vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory effects of Camellia sinensis (green, white, yellow, oolong, black, and dark tea) and Litsea coreana (hawk tea).HPLC analysis confirmed dissimilarities among phytochemical compositions of these teas. The tea extracts (TEs) significantly decreased the productions of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor-α) and increased the anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and DSS-induced colitis mice model. The treatment of TEs in colitis mice could ameliorate colon inflammation, pro-oxidative enzyme activity, colon integrity, and suppressed the activation of nuclear factor-κB. Of note, green TE significantly attenuated the DSS-induced decrease in richness and diversity of gut microbiota. Moreover, TEs are capable of exerting a prebiotic effect on gut microbiota by increasing the abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria (e.g., Faecalibaculum, and Bifidobacterium), and decreasing the abundance of potentially harmful bacteria (e.g., Bacteroids, and Mucispirillum). TEs restored the decreased production of SCFAs in the feces of colitic mice.The treatment of seven types of tea could alleviate DSS-induced colitis in mice, and modulate the dysbiosis of gut microbiota in colitis mice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.