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Green tea and selenium (Se) improve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, studies on the effect of green tea and Se-enriched green tea on NAFLD are limited. C57BL/6 mice were divided into high-fat diet (HFD), HFD+regular green tea (T), and HFD+Se-enriched green tea (SeT) groups after 12 weeks of feeding with HFD. HFD feeding was continued, and the mice in the HFD+T and HFD+SeT groups drank corresponding tea solution for another 12 weeks. The control (CON) group was given normal diet. At the end of the experiment, serum, liver, fat, and intestinal tract were collected. Results showed that both tea interventions decreased body and fat weight. Histological analysis showed that both tea interventions alleviated steatosis, which is supported by the changes in lipid profiles and lipogenic pathways. Tea interventions significantly increased superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase levels; and decreased TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and malondialdehyde contents. HFD significantly increased total bile acid in the intestinal contents and liver, duodenal 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) level and tryptophan hydroxylase gene expression, and hepatic 5-HT, 5-HT receptor 2A, monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A), and H2O2; all of them reversed by the tea interventions. Furthermore, the improved oxidative stress, inflammatory response, duodenal 5-HT, and hepatic MAO-A were more pronounced in the HFD+SeT group than in the HFD+T group. Our findings revealed that green tea ameliorates NAFLD through peripheral 5-HT signals in HFD fed mice.

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