Anti-obesity Effect of Catechin Added Functional Kimchi and its Metabolites

Abstract

Abstract The antiobesity effects of catechin functional kimchi (CFK) were studied in C57BL/6 mice with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. We prepared four types of kimchi: commercial kimchi (CK), standard kimchi (SK), green tea functional kimchi (GFK), and CFK. CFK decreased the adipo/lipogenesis-related genes of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα). peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) in the liver and epididymal fat tissues (p < 0.05). On the other hand, CFK showed the highest lipolysis-related gene expression of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and β-oxidation related gene expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT-1). CFK produced the lowest inflammation-related gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) among all groups in the epididymal fat tissues (p < 0.05). In addition, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS showed that CFK is composed mainly of 39 active compounds, e.g., epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), catechins, apigenin, myricetin, kaempferitin, rutin, quercetin, and other substances with anti-inflammatory, blood cholesterol reduction, blood sugar reduction, body fat reduction, antioxidant, and anticancer functions. Thus, CFK exhibited an antiobesity effect through its modulation of lipid metabolism and active compounds.