Water extract of the fungi from Fuzhuan brick tea improves the beneficial function on inhibiting fat deposition

Abstract

Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT) is traditionally consumed by the ethnic group in the border region of northwest China. The unique yellow fungal (Eurotium cristatum) growth phase is considered to be the key process point in the manufacture of the brick tea. The fungi from FBT are not only strongly correlated to the quality of brick tea, but also have the potential function of preventing obesity. The water extract of fungi (100 μg/mL) can significantly inhibit fat deposition in 3T3-L1 adipocyte and Caenorhabditis elegans. Furthermore, the inhibition of 3T3-L1 adipocyte formation was not due to the suppression on cell viability.

• 3T3-L1 preadipocyte
• Caenorhabditis elegans
• Eurotium cristatum
• fat deposition
• Fuzhuan brick tea

Acknowledgements

Bristol N2 strain used in this work was provided by the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center, which is funded by the NIH National Center for Research Resources. We sincerely thank Ye Xiaoyan and Yang Xinghe for the helpful discussion and technical assistance.

Declarations of interest

The co-authors hereby state that there is no conflict of interest or any contractual relations or proprietary considerations that would affect the publication of the information in this article. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31270733), the major scientific and technological project, Hunan Province (2008FJ1005).