Oolong Tea Polyphenols Ameliorate Circadian Rhythm of Intestinal Microbiome and Liver Clock Genes in Mouse Model

Our present study focused on the
regulating effect of oolong tea
polyphenols (OTPs) on the circadian rhythm of liver and intestinal
microbiome. OTP significantly alleviated the disrupted diurnal oscillation
and phase shift of the specific intestinal microbiota and liver clock
genes in mice induced by constant dark (CD) treatment. Transcriptomics
revealed that 1114 genes in the control group and 647 genes in the
CD group showed circadian rhythm while 723 genes were rhythmic in
the CD-OTP group. The Gene Ontology (GO) database provided significant
differences in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to
OTP treatment. In addition, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
(KEGG) pathways enriched the most DEGs after OTP intervention including
“Focal adhesion” (9 DEGs) and “PI3K-Akt signaling
pathway” (9 DEGs). The present study provided a global view
that OTP may alleviate the circadian rhythm disorder of the host,
contributing to the improvement of microecology and health.