• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.450-455
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• 2008

Previously, we have shown that green tea extract lowers the intestinal absorption of cholesterol, fat, and other fat-soluble compounds. We conducted this study to determine whether green tea extract affects the rate of $^{14}C$-oleic acid esterification into various lipids in the intestinal mucosa of rats. Male Sprague-Dawley ruts were had free access to a nutritionally adequate AIN-93G diet and deionized water. Initially, the rat's mucosal content of total lipids was measured following 1 mL olive oil administration with (green tea group) or without (control group) 100 mg green tea extract powder. At 1 h and 5 h, intestinal segments were extracted for total lipid analysis. Secondly, to measure mucosal esterification rates of lipids, an abdominal incision was made along the midline, and a 10-cm long jejunal segment of the small intestine was ligated in situ. Then, micellar solutions with or without green tea extract were injected into the ligated jejunal segments and incubated for 10 mill. The micellar solution contained $200.0\;{\mu}$ Ci $^{14}C$-oleic acid, $200.1\;{\mu}mol$ unlabelled oleic acid, $66.7\;{\mu}mol$ 2-monooleoylglycerol, $66.7\;{\mu}mol$ palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, 2.2 mmol glucose, $50.0\;{\mu}mol$ albumin, and 16.5 mmol Na-taurocholate per L of phosphate buffered saline (pH, 6.3) with or without 8.87 g green tea extract powder. At 10 min, each rat was sacrificed by cervical dislocation under anesthesia and the segment was removed for lipid analysis. Significant differences were observed in mucosal triglyceride content at 1 h and 5 h in ruts given green tea extract. Significant differences in the rate of $^{14}C$-oleic acid esterification into triglycerides and phospholipids fractions were observed between control and green tea groups. However, There were no significant differences in other lipid fractions. These results indicate that the lowered esterification rates of $^{14}C$-oleic acid into triglycerides and phospholipids fractions is attributable to presence of green tea extract. This may be associated with an inhibitory effect of green tea catechin on the mucosal processes of lipids, leading to the inhibition of intestinal absorption of lipids.