Evaluation of Green Tea Yoghurt Enriched With Lacticaseibacillus paracasei E1 Microcapsules on Macrophage M1 Profile in High Fat-fructose Diet Mice

Obesity is caused by an energy imbalance that increases chronic low-grade inflammation, including macrophage cell infiltration. Adipose tissue macrophages are polarized into pro-inflammatory macrophage type 1 (M1), secrete large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and activate transcription factors. Yoghurt with probiotics is popular at all ages for its health benefits and must be protected by microencapsulation. Green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) fortification provides yoghurt nutrients while improving its functional qualities and bioactivity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of microencapsulation of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei E1 in green tea yoghurt (GTY) on the profile of M1 macrophages in mice fed a high-fat fructose diet (HFFD). Thirty-five male mice Mus musculus Balb/c (±20 g, 4 to 5-week-old) were divided into seven groups: normal; simvastatin dosage 1.3 mg/kg BW; plain yoghurt dosage 5 g/kg BW; GTY doses at 2.5, 5, and 10 g/kg BW. Mice were fed a diet for 12 weeks and treated with yoghurt daily for four weeks. Macrophages were obtained from isolated adipose cells using enzyme digestion and labeled with antibodies. The levels of CD146⁺NF-кB⁺, CD146⁺STAT1⁺, CD146⁺TNF-α⁺, CD146⁺CD11c⁺IL-6⁺, and CD146⁺Lp-PLA₂⁺ were measured by flow cytometer. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA (p < 0.05). Yoghurt at all doses significantly reduced NF-кβ, STAT1, TNF-α, IL-6, and Lp-PLA₂ levels compared to the HFFD group. These findings suggest that combining green tea with probiotics in yoghurt may serve as a dietary intervention to manage obesity-induced inflammation by alleviating oxidative stress and regulating metabolism.