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Sichuan dark tea with a medicine-food-homology formula synergistically alleviates alcohol-associated gut microbiota disturbance, liver steatosis and death in mice

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Editor's note
Alcohol damages the gut barrier and liver partly through microbiota collapse—this work shows a tea-based formula restores key protective bacteria (Akkermansia) and intestinal integrity in mice, reducing liver injury and death. The finding is mechanistically incremental but pragmatically valuable, as it identifies a food-based intervention targeting the mucosa-liver axis rather than single downstream targets. Hepatologists, gastroenterologists, and addiction medicine specialists should assess whether these mouse results warrant human trials in alcohol use disorder.

Source: openalex · Origin: CN · Fan Guo, Rong-Shuang Huang, Rui-Han Li, Yuying Feng, Lin Lin · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · 2026-09-01

URL: https://doi.org/10.26599/fmh.2026.9420128

AI rationale (4/5, tier: unclassified): Directly addresses intestinal barrier integrity and Akkermansia restoration in alcohol-induced disease model.

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a global health concern. Sichuan dark tea, a popular Chinese beverage, has been reported to have good health effects. In the study, Sichuan dark tea with a medicine-food-homology formula (TEA&MFH) has been created and evaluated for potential anti-ALD benefits. Our results exhibited that TEA&MFH treatment significantly decreased the mortality rate, hyperlipidemia, and hepatic steatosis in alcohol-induced mice. TEA&MFH treatment decreased serum ethanol levels and enhanced the expression of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes. Furthermore, TEA&MFH ameliorated alcohol-induced hepatic inflammation and fibrosis, maintained intestinal barrier integrity, and altered the composition of gut microbiota, particularly restoring the population of Akkermansia. Gene and metabolite integrated analysis revealed that TEA&MFH influenced these key pathways related to lipid metabolism and inflammatory response. These findings provide evidence that TEA&MFH synergistically improves alcohol-associated gut microbiota disturbance, liver steatosis, and death in mice. As a dietary formula, the TEA&MFH holds significant potential against alcoholic liver disease.

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Published 2026-05-28 · Last kit-update 2026-05-28