Effect of Ripe Pu-erh Tea on Intestinal Microorganisms in D-Galactose-Induced Aging Mice

The objective of the study is to investigate the effect of ripe Pu-erh tea on the antioxidant enzyme activity, the morphology of small intestine, and the diversity and structural change of intestinal flora in D-galactose-induced aging mice. In this study, C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into a control group, an aging group and a ripe Pu-erh tea group. A mouse model of aging was created by subcutaneous injection of D-galactose. After 18 weeks of oral administration, the changes in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and small intestinal histopathology were evaluated and the intestinal flora structure was analyzed by 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that SOD and GSH-Px activities were significantly decreased and MDA content was significantly increased in D-gal induced aging mice (P < 0.05). Compared to the aging and group, SOD and GSH-Px activities were significantly increased and MDA content was significantly decreased in the ripe Pu-erh tea group (P < 0.05). In the hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining test, compared to the control group, the intestinal villus length, crypt depth and muscle layer thickness of mice were significantly decreased in the aging group (P < 0.05). After the intervention with ripe Pu-erh tea, the intestinal flora structure was improved compared to the aging mice (P < 0.05); the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes was significantly increased (P < 0.05), the relative abundance of Lactobacillaceae and Lactobacillus was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae was significantly increased (P < 0.05). In summary, we conclude that Pu-erh ripe tea can improve intestinal environmental disorders in D-gal induced aging mice at doses three times higher than the normal level, thereby delaying the aging process.