Abstract

Matcha green tea contains various bioactive compounds, such as catechins and dietary fibers. Daily consumption of matcha green tea enhances exercise-induced adaptations to skeletal muscle hypertrophy and strength in humans. However, interventional studies on the efficacy and mechanism of micro-compounds in muscle adaptation to resistance training are limited. In this study, we examined the effects of matcha green tea on anabolic regulators in the skeletal muscles in association with the gut environment during high-intensity intermittent exercise in mice. Male ICR mice were divided into sedentary, exercise, and matcha groups. The matcha group was orally administered matcha (200 µL, 10 mg of matcha powder/mL) daily. The exercise and matcha groups were subjected to three sets of high-intensity intermittent exercises for 3 min, with intervals of 5 min, five times per week. After 1 or 4 weeks, hindlimb muscle, plasma, and fecal samples were collected. After 1 week of training, the phosphorylation levels of p70S6K (Thr421/Ser424) and pERK (Thr202/Tyr204) in the gastrocnemius muscle were higher in the matcha group than that in the sedentary group. After 4 weeks, the gastrocnemius muscle weight was higher in the matcha group than that in the sedentary group. The abundance of Clostridium coccoides in the feces tended to be higher in the matcha group than that in the exercise group. Furthermore, muscle weight was positively correlated with the abundance of Clostridium coccoides. Matcha green tea consumption with high-intensity intermittent exercise promotes skeletal muscle protein synthesis, which may be associated with the microbiota composition.

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