Green Tea Polyphenol (−)-Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) Attenuates Neuroinflammation in Palmitic Acid-Stimulated BV-2 Microglia and High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

• Main Authors: Limin Mao, Danielle Hochstetter, Liyun Yao, Yueling Zhao, Jihong Zhou, Yuefei Wang, Ping Xu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-10-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: tea polyphenols; saturated fatty acids; obesity; hypothalamus; inflammation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/20/5081

Obesity is closely associated with neuroinflammation in the hypothalamus, which is characterized by over-activated microglia and excessive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The present study was aimed at elucidating the effects of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on palmitic acid-stimulated BV-2 microglia and high-fat-diet-induced obese mice. The results indicated the suppressive effect of EGCG on lipid accumulation, pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) release, and microglial activation in both cellular and high-fat-diet rodent models. These results were associated with lower phosphorylated levels of the janus kinase 2/signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) signaling pathway. In conclusion, EGCG can attenuate high-fat-induced hypothalamic inflammation via inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways in microglia.