Sunrouge, an Anthocyanin-Rich Green Tea Cultivar, Attenuates Fat Accumulation and Obesity-Related Metabolic Abnormalities in Western Diet-Fed Mice.

Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of lifestyle-related diseases worldwide. Green tea (GT) and catechins have been reported to ameliorate obesity-related phenotypes, whereas the metabolic effects of Sunrouge (SR), a GT cultivar containing both catechins and anthocyanins, remain insufficiently characterized. In this study, we investigated the effects of long-term SR intake in Western diet (WD)-fed male C57BL/6J mice and examined the effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and delphinidin-3-O-galactoside (D3Ga), representative SR polyphenols, in HepG2 cells. In WD-fed mice, both SR and GT attenuated adipose tissue mass, hepatic triglyceride (TG) and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) accumulation, and improved glucose tolerance in the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test. SR additionally reduced plasma and hepatic total cholesterol and increased fasting plasma active glucagon-like peptide-1 concentrations. SR also altered cecal organic acid profiles and intestinal microbiota composition. In HepG2 cells, D3Ga significantly reduced NEFA-induced intracellular TG accumulation, and co-treatment with EGCG and D3Ga increased CPT1 expression. These findings suggest that SR, like GT, attenuates diet-induced fat accumulation and several obesity-related metabolic abnormalities. SR also affected cholesterol metabolism, fasting plasma active GLP-1 levels, and gut microbial profiles, suggesting a partly distinct metabolic profile from GT. This study provides new insights into the potential metabolic benefits of anthocyanin-containing GT cultivars.