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Protective Effect of Selenium-Enriched Green Tea on Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Fibrosis

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Abstract

The major pathogenic feature of liver fibrosis is that oxidative stress motivation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) alters the balance between the synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and HSCs into proliferative myofibroblasts. Green tea and selenium (Se) can protect the liver from damage; however, the precise mechanism of green tea and the action of Se in green tea on hepatic fibrosis remain unclear. Several studies have demonstrated the profibrogenic role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HTR) 2A/2B in the liver. The current study aimed to investigate the protective effects and possible mechanisms of selenium-enriched green tea on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis in male C57BL/6 J mice. After a 4-week intervention with tea solution, histological analysis of the liver showed that green tea interventions alleviated hepatic fibrosis, which was supported by the changes in collagen type I, collagen type III, and α-smooth muscle actin in the liver. Tea interventions significantly inhibited the CCl4-provoked increase of duodenal 5-HT and tryptophan hydroxylase and hepatic 5-HT and 5-HTR2A/2B levels. All of them were lower in the selenium-enriched green tea group than in regular green tea group. Se-enriched green tea had a more pronounced improvement in liver ECM deposition and scar formation and peripheral 5-HT signals than regular green tea. Thus, green tea, especially those enriched with selenium, can improve liver fibrosis through intestinal 5-HT-hepatic 5-HTR signaling.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the Special Project of Innovation-Driven Development in Guangxi (Grant No. Guike AA17202038-3) and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Soochow University, 199 Ren’ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, China

    Lin Zhang, Shi-Lin Gao, Jia-Yang Zheng & Li-Qiang Qin

  2. State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, 199 Ren’ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, China

    Jia-Ying Xu & Lin Wang

  3. Cultivation Base of Guangxi Key Laboratory for Agro-Environment and Agro-Products Safety, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Plant Science Education, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China

    Yanyan Wei & Minghua Gu

Authors
  1. Lin Zhang
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  4. Shi-Lin Gao
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  5. Lin Wang
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  7. Minghua Gu
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  8. Li-Qiang Qin
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Contributions

Li-Qiang Qin, Jia-Ying Xu, and Minghua Gu designed the study. Lin Zhang, Yanyan Wei, Shi-Lin Gao, Lin Wang, and Jia-Yang Zheng conducted the research. Lin Zhang performed the statistical tests and wrote the original draft. Li-Qiang Qin and Jia-Ying Xu edited the final paper.

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Correspondence to Li-Qiang Qin.

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Approved by the Soochow University Animal Welfare Committee (Grant No. 201905A414).

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Zhang, L., Xu, JY., Wei, Y. et al. Protective Effect of Selenium-Enriched Green Tea on Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Fibrosis. Biol Trace Elem Res 200, 2233–2238 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-021-02823-x

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