Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther. May 5, 2022; 13(3): 30-32
Published online May 5, 2022. doi: 10.4292/wjgpt.v13.i3.30
Fuzhuan brick tea affects obesity process by modulating gut microbiota
Zhi-Peng Li, Dong-Hui Xu, Lian-Ping He, Xin-Juan Wang
Zhi-Peng Li, Dong-Hui Xu, Lian-Ping He, Xin-Juan Wang, School of Medicine, Taizhou University, Taizhou 318000, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Li ZP and Xu DH performed the conceptualization, formal analysis, and writing of the original draft; He LP and Wang XJ contributed to the writing, reviewing, and editing of the manuscript; all authors participated in drafting the manuscript and all have read, contributed to, and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by General Research Project of Education Department of Zhejiang Province, No. Y202146955; 2019 Taizhou Science and Technology Bureau Project, No. 1902ky83; and The Second Batch of Research Projects on Teaching Reform in the 13th Five-Year Plan of Zhejiang Province, No. Jg20190460.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors of this article have read and agree Chemistry's fine print on the Copyright Transfer Agreement. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest with any organization, institution, or individual.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xin-Juan Wang, MD, Senior Researcher, Teacher, School of Medicine, Taizhou University, No. 1139 Shifu Avenue, Taizhou 318000, Zhejiang Province, China. wxjyxy@tzc.edu.cn
Received: March 1, 2022
Peer-review started: March 1, 2022
First decision: April 12, 2022
Revised: April 12, 2022
Accepted: April 24, 2022
Article in press: April 24, 2022
Published online: May 5, 2022
Abstract

The effect of Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT) on metabolism in obese mice is mediated by regulation of N-methyltransferase by aryl hydrocarbon receptor. The expression of the phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase gene is regulated by many transcription factors, and those specific to this effect need further investigation. Experimental animal studies have been designed to observe the effects of a single drug or the sequential effects of drugs. A washout period should be included if different drugs (e.g., antibiotics and FBT) are given to avoid or reduce additive effects or synergy. Currently, most experimental studies performed in mice used only male animals. However, experience has revealed that the results of using only male mice are very likely to have sex differences.

Keywords: Intestinal flora, Mice, Tea, Sex bias, Fuzhuan brick tea

Core Tip: Some studies found that Fuzhuan brick tea has an effect on the gut microbiome. Many transcription factors regulate the expression of the phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase gene. Only selecting aromatic hydrocarbon acceptors for research needs to be given a sufficient basis. In germ-free mice, sex differences in metabolism were reduced, i.e., antibiotics may cause changes in the homogeneity of the mice, and if the mice are of different sexes, the gut microbiota of the mice may be different. Under the influence of antibiotics, sex differences in the microbiota may be reduced or even flattened.