Chinese Sweet Leaf Tea (Rubus suavissimus) Mitigates LPS-Induced Low-Grade Chronic Inflammation and Reduces the Risk of Metabolic Disorders in a C57BL/6J Mouse Model

Chronic exposure to minute doses of endotoxin elicits intestinal inflammation and impairs the gut barrier function, potentially resulting in systemic inflammation with elevated concentrations of biomarkers associated with metabolic syndrome. This study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of the Rubus suavissimus S. Lee leaf extract in a model of low-grade systemic inflammation. The predominant compounds found in the leaf extract are gallic acids, ellagic acid, and rubusoside. Results of the present study showed that R. suavissimus leaf extract supplementation could help preserve intestinal barrier integrity by upregulating the expression of the tight junction proteins [e.g., zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1) and junctional adhesion molecule-1 (JAMA)] and mucin (MUC)-4 and also suppress the release of plasmatic proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, while restoring the production of anti-inflammatory adiponectin. We s...