The impact of green tea polyphenols on development and reproduction in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Although, green tea has numerous health benefits, adverse effects with excessive consumption have been reported. Using Drosophila melanogaster, a decrease in male fertility with green tea was evidenced. Here, the extent of green tea toxicity on development and reproduction was investigated. Drosophila melanogaster embryos and larvae were exposed to various doses of green tea polyphenols (GTP). Larvae exposed to 10 mg/mL GTP were slower to develop, emerged smaller, and exhibited a dramatic decline in the number of emerged offspring. GTP protected flies against desiccation but sensitized them to starvation and heat stress. Female offspring exhibited a decline in reproductive output and decreased survival while males were unaffected. GTP had a negative impact on reproductive organs in both males and females (e.g., atrophic testes in males, absence of mature eggs in females). Collectively, the data show that high doses of GTP adversely affect development and reproduction of Drosophila melanogaster.

Potential of Camellia sinensis proanthocyanidins-rich fraction for controlling malaria mosquito populations through disruption of larval development

“…Consistent with previous results from studies conducted on other insects [ 29 – 31 ], C. sinensis extract exhibited larvicidal activity in addition to induction of growth disruption effects. However, in contrast to our dosage data, these studies reported relatively higher extract dosages of between 10 mg/ml to 75 mg/ml (translating to 10,000–75,000 ppm) to achieve similar larvicidal potency.…”

“…albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus [ 29 , 30 ]. Further, green tea polyphenols have been shown to cause deleterious effects on the development and reproduction fitness of D. melanogaster [ 31 ]. Therefore, we designed a study to evaluate the efficacy of green tea leaf extract and its constituents against immature larval stages of A. arabiensis and A. gambiae ( s.s .).…”

Green tea polyphenols require the mitochondrial iron transporter, mitoferrin, for lifespan extension in Drosophila melanogaster

“…Green tea has high polyphenolic content with known iron‐binding properties (Khokhar & Apenten, ; Perron & Brumaghim, ). We investigated the ability of a green tea polyphenol extract, consisting of ∼80% catechin content (Lopez et al., ), to modulate total body iron levels. We found a 39% decrease (245.9 ± 24.9 vs. 403.6 ± 29.4 nmol Fe/mg protein) in total body iron compared to controls ( P = 0.003, Fig.…”

“…Previously, we reported that green tea increased the lifespan of w 1118 male Drosophila by 19% while reducing fertility (Lopez et al., ). We further identified negative impairments in the reproductive organs of Drosophila treated with green tea, including atrophied testes in male flies (Lopez et al., ). In consideration of the inverse relationship between reproduction and lifespan in Drosophila , a well‐documented occurrence (Flatt, ; Kirkwood & Rose, ; Prowse & Partridge, ), and the importance of iron for spermatogenesis (Hales, ; Metzendorf & Lind, ; Tvrda, Peer, Sikka, & Agarwal, ), we questioned whether green tea acts by modulating iron regulation to affect lifespan and fertility.…”

Toxicological effects of Camellia sinensis (green tea): A review

“…Later, they reported that GTPs in high dose (10 mg/ml) declined the rate of development and the number of emerged offspring in D. melanogaster larvae. Besides, reproductive ability and survival decreased in female offspring, but not in males (Lopez et al, ).…”