2. Academic Validation
  3. Qing-brick tea alleviates metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: involvement of AMPK/ACC and SREBP1/FAS pathways

Qing-brick tea alleviates metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: involvement of AMPK/ACC and SREBP1/FAS pathways

  • Cytotechnology. 2026 Apr;78(2):63. doi: 10.1007/s10616-026-00930-y.
Chengcheng You # 1 2,  Wenlai Li # 1 3,  Junyun Xiang # 1,  Lingyan Li 1,  Ruoquan Zheng 1,  Jiaqi Luo 1,  Yayun Liu 1,  Yi Yang 1,  Changyi Xiao 4,  Jiangang He 4,  Yiling Huang 1 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443002 Hubei Province China.
  • 2 Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443002 Hubei Province China.
  • 3 Department of Gastroenterologyof Zhongxiang People's Hospital, Zhongxiang Hospital Affiliated to China Three Gorges University, Zhongxiang, 431900 Hubei Province China.
  • 4 Long Cheng Chuan Qing-brick Tea Research Institute of Hubei Province, Yichang, 443002 Hubei Province China.
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 41868711 DOI: 10.1007/s10616-026-00930-y
Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is often asymptomatic in its early stages and exhibits a higher prevalence than both viral hepatitis and alcoholic liver disease, posing a significant challenge to modern healthcare. Qing-brick tea (QBT), a traditional Chinese tea characterized by its unique processing method and brick-like form, contains bioactive compounds including epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, gallic acid, and catechin.This study aims to investigate the preventive effects and underlying the mechanisms of QBT on MAFLD in mice induced by a high-fat diet in combination with dextran sulfate sodium in vivo and a hyperlipidemic environment of HepG2 cells in vitro. The results demonstrate that QBT effectively prevents the development of MAFLD, which may be associated with the activation of the AMPK/ACC pathway and the suppression of SREBP1/FAS signaling.These findings provide an experimental foundation and theoretical basis for the further development and utilization of QBT.

Keywords

Mechanisms; Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease; Qing-brick tea extract.

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