Objective  Effect of Junmei black tea extract on serum metabolism in mice was investigated based upon the nontargeted metabolomics for potential pharmaceutical applications.

Method Aqueous extract of Junmei black tea was freeze-dried to be orally administered to 6-week-old C57BL/6 SPF male mice (n=5) at 450 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹ for 8 consecutive weeks, along with control fed with distilled water. Serum samples collected from the mice after the feeding were centrifuged for a nontargeted metabolomics analysis. The serum metabolites were clustered, differentiated, and subjected to KEGG and MSEA enrichment analyses to determine possible interventions by the tea extract.

Result After the feeding, 3 599 differential metabolites were detected in serum of the mice. Of which, 576 were significantly different (P＜0.05), and 149 signaling pathways significantly different on the principal components, clustering, and KEGG enrichment (P＜0.05). The top 20 differential metabolites and signaling pathways closely related to body lipid metabolism, neural excitation regulation, anti-fatigue regulation, inflammation regulation, cardiovascular disease, etc.

Conclusion Oral administration of Junmei black tea extract significantly affected the serum metabolites in mice. Since those metabolites involve functions, such as lipid metabolism, nervous system regulation, anti-fatigue, inflammatory immunity, and cardiovascular disease, the potential of the tea in regulating blood metabolism seemed to exist.