(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits pancreatic lipase and reduces body weight gain in high fat-fed obese mice.

Tea (Camellia sinensis, Theaceae) has been shown to have obesity preventive effects in laboratory studies. We hypothesized that dietary epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) could reverse metabolic syndrome in high fat-fed obese C57bl/6J mice, and that these effects were related to inhibition of pancreatic lipase (PL). Following treatment with 0.32% EGCG for 6 weeks, a 44% decrease in body weight (BW) gain in high fat-fed, obese mice (P < 0.01) was observed compared to controls. EGCG treatment increased fecal lipid content by 29.4% (P < 0.05) compared to high fat-fed control, whereas in vitro, EGCG dose-dependently inhibited PL (IC(50) = 7.5 µmol/l) in a noncompetitive manner with respect to substrate concentration. (-)-Epicatechin-3-gallate exhibited similar inhibitory activity, whereas the nonester-containing (-)-epigallocatechin did not. In conclusion, EGCG supplementation reduced final BW and BW gain in obese mice, and some of these effects may be due to inhibition of PL by EGCG.